Word
heretofore
Phoneticshereto·fore
US/ˌhɪɹtəˈfɔɹ/
UK/hˈiətʊfˌɔː/
Adverb of time
Definition
adv. until now, or before this point in time. You use it in formal writing to talk about what happened before the present moment.
adv. before the present time or before the point under discussion. Typically appears in legal and academic prose to mark continuity up to the present.
Examples
“Heretofore we meet online every Friday morning.”
“Heretofore the company hires only local staff, but the new policy opens applications to remote workers.”
“Heretofore scholars treated the manuscript as a minor curiosity, yet recent analysis suggests it preserves a lost tradition of commentary.”
Examples
simple
“Heretofore we meet online every Friday morning.”
contextual
“Heretofore the company hires only local staff, but the new policy opens applications to remote workers.”
complex
“Heretofore scholars treated the manuscript as a minor curiosity, yet recent analysis suggests it preserves a lost tradition of commentary.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “heretofore” in context.
Verb
01. apply heretofore
“The standards that applied heretofore require substantial revision.”
verb + adverb
02. heretofore assume
“Scholars had heretofore assumed the text was lost in the seventeenth century.”
adverb + verb
03. heretofore believe
“Physicians had heretofore believed the condition to be purely genetic.”
adverb + verb
04. heretofore neglect
“Critics had heretofore neglected the influence of translation on the novel.”
adverb + verb
05. heretofore overlook
“Regulators had heretofore overlooked risks in the shadow banking sector.”
adverb + verb
Noun
06. heretofore policy
“The directive reverses heretofore policy on data retention.”
adverb + noun
07. heretofore practice
“The ruling departs significantly from heretofore practice in commercial disputes.”
adverb + noun
08. heretofore precedent
“The court distinguished heretofore precedent on executive immunity.”
adverb + noun
09. as provided heretofore
“All rights shall continue as provided heretofore in the original agreement.”
10. has heretofore received little attention
“This side effect has heretofore received little attention in clinical trials.”
11. have heretofore remained unexamined
“These archives have heretofore remained unexamined by historians.”
12. heretofore assumed to be extinct
“The bird, heretofore assumed to be extinct, was sighted in the highlands.”
Usage
Typically placed at the start of a clause or before the main verb in formal writing.
Real-World Examples
“The author has heretofore been best known as a magazine writer.” “Heretofore, Huntington Hartford 2d had kept under wraps the identity of the classic that he was adapting for his wife, Marjorie Steele, to act in.” “Still, his book takes seriously a subject that, perhaps aptly, has heretofore been mostly disregarded.” Etymology
From Middle English heretoforn, equivalent to here (“here”) + toforn (“before”), from Old English tōforan (“before”). More at here, tofore.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADVERB
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C2 ProficiencyIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.8.5–9.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 6.0114–120
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C2 · Proficiency
- Updated
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