then
n. timen. at a specific time in the past or future. You also use it to show what happens next in a story or a list of steps.
n. at that time, referring to a specific point in the past or future; subsequently or next in a sequence. Often functions as a temporal marker or a logical consequence indicator.
I was living in London then.
We went for a long walk in the park and then had a nice dinner at a local restaurant.
If the initial hypothesis proves incorrect, then the research team must re-evaluate the data collected during the first phase of the trial.
From Middle English then(ne), than(ne), from Old English þonne, þanne, þænne (“then, at that time”), from Proto-West Germanic þan, from Proto-Germanic þan (“at that (time), then”), from earlier þam, from Proto-Indo-European tóm, accusative masculine of *só (“demonstrative pronoun, that”). Cognate with Dutch dan (“then”), German dann (“then”), Swedish då (“then”), Icelandic þá (“then”). Doublet of than.
Commonly placed at the end of a sentence when referring to a specific time, or at the start of a clause to show sequence.
He is taller than me then.He is taller than me.Learners frequently confuse 'then' (time/sequence) with 'than' (comparison).