# heretofore

/ˌhɪɹtəˈfɔɹ/ (US) · /hˈiətʊfˌɔː/ (UK) · CEFR C2 · Adverb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/heretofore
Updated: 2026-10-19

## Definition

until now, or before this point in time. You use it in formal writing to talk about what happened before the present moment.

For teachers: 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.

## Usage notes

- Typically placed at the start of a clause or before the main verb in formal writing.

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