How to Use then in a Sentence

then

adverb
  • Just then he walked in.
  • She lived in the Soviet Union, as it then was called.
  • Back then, he was living in New York.
  • And then there are the gantry cranes, which at present are 67 and 75 tall.
    John King, SFChronicle.com, 1 Oct. 2020
  • Watch the fish engulf the bug and turn or drop down then set the hook.
    Bill May, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, 1 May 2021
  • Brush the squash halves with olive oil, then flip the squash cut-side down.
    Carrie Honaker, Southern Living, 21 Sep. 2023
  • And then there are the restaurants, cafes, and markets.
    BostonGlobe.com, 25 May 2021
  • And then this is the last Webb/Garfield Spider-Man movie.
    Good Housekeeping, 6 Apr. 2023
  • Ease along in first gear at 15 mph, then squeeze the throttle down to the floor and hang on.
    Rich Ceppos, Car and Driver, 2 July 2020
  • Slowly whisk in the olive oil, then add the salt and pepper flakes.
    Justin Phillips, SFChronicle.com, 13 July 2020
  • Have a look back at the iconic 1986 film's cast then and now.
    Georgia Slater, Peoplemag, 1 Dec. 2022
  • They then were brought to Italy and sold to clients, mostly in Asia.
    Trisha Thomas, Star Tribune, 18 June 2021
  • By then there were a lot of conflicts on the staff over the whole story.
    James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2023
  • And then, of course, the most important thing is a retinol.
    Glamour, 7 Apr. 2022
  • One minute there’s nothing, and then a song grows out of the seed of an idea.
    Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 18 June 2021
  • Since then, there have been many changes in Brazil and the film has survived….
    John Hopewell, Variety, 3 Dec. 2021
  • The gunman then managed to get back up and shoot and kill Rashid.
    Nick Perry, ajc, 16 Dec. 2021
  • So what were the big crowd-pleasers at the multiplex then?
    Kyle Smith, National Review, 7 Apr. 2021
  • When your pan is hot, press the dough, cook, then repeat.
    Lisa Zwirn, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Mar. 2021
  • Even then, the body has back-up defenses against the virus.
    Mike Stobbe, Fortune, 22 Sep. 2021
  • The court clearly hopes—and strongly hints—that the case will be moot by then.
    Garrett Epps, The Atlantic, 26 June 2017
  • And then there's that high demand for eggs, which spikes this time of year.
    Danielle Wiener-Bronner, CNN, 27 Dec. 2022
  • The work is Sisyphean: Move the pile from one spot this week, then go through the whole process again a week later.
    John Leland, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2023
  • The pitcher could be waiting for that thing to go down to one and then pick at one.
    The Enquirer, 10 Sep. 2022
  • Security then had to forcibly hold the door shut to keep the group out.
    Mike Mavredakis, Hartford Courant, 8 Sep. 2022
  • Peterson, who by then had made it to the corner of the lot, turns and runs north.
    oregonlive, 12 Dec. 2020
  • Since then, Suntok has scoured this beach dozens of times.
    Devon Bidal, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Feb. 2022
  • Graham, who was 18 then, shot and killed the 18-year-old victim.
    Garfield Hylton, Orlando Sentinel, 6 Apr. 2023
  • Sellers then set the price for the item based on its condition.
    NBC News, 5 Aug. 2021
  • Awards are then made at random from among the fundable group.
    Adrian Barnett, STAT, 26 Oct. 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'then.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: