since

[sins]

adverb

1. from then till now (often preceded byever ).

   He was elected in 1978 and has been president ever since.

2. between a particular past time and the present; subsequently.

   She at first refused, but has since consented.

3. before now; ago.

   long since.

preposition

1. continuously from or counting from.

   It has been warm since noon.

2. between a past time or event and the present.

   There have been many changes since the war.

conjunction

1. in the period following the time when.

   He has written once since he left.

2. continuously from or counting from the time when.

   He has been busy since he came.

3. because; inasmuch as.

   Since you're already here, you might as well stay.

since

/ sɪns /

preposition

1. during or throughout the period of time after

   since May it has only rained once

conjunction

1. (sometimes preceded by ever) continuously from or starting from the time when

   since we last met, important things have happened

2. seeing that; because

   since you have no money, you can't come

adverb

1. since that time

   he left yesterday and I haven't seen him since

Usage

See as ¹.

Word History and Origins

Origin of since¹

First recorded in 1400–50; Late Middle English (adverb) syns, sinnes “thereupon, afterwards,” Middle English (adverb and conjunction) sithenes “afterwards, from (the specified time), because,” equivalent to sithen “after that, since” ( Old English siththan, originally sīth thām “after that”) + -es; sith, -s ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of since¹

Old English sīththan, literally: after that; related to Old High German sīd since, Latin sērus late

Idioms and Phrases

see greatest thing since sliced bread.

Example Sentences

The two friends, each in their own apartments in New York City, have not seen each other since Hoffman recently returned from Italy where he was shooting a role in Luca Guadagnino’s upcoming movie about the artificial intelligence company OpenAI, his hair styled in a severe, dark buzz cut.

From Los Angeles Times

He also starred opposite Jennifer Lawrence in the 2023 comedy “No Hard Feelings,” in which his torchy showstopping performance of Hall & Oates’ bouncy ’80s “Maneater” has since racked up more than 18 million views on YouTube.

From Los Angeles Times

So I got a call from my agent that they were asking me to chemistry-read with Cooper and since we were in the same place, might as well be convenient if we just do it in the same place on Zoom.

From Los Angeles Times

The Chargers quarterback dissected the Chiefs with surgical precision, throwing for 318 yards and three touchdown passes in a 27-21 toppling of the defending AFC champions — a franchise the Chargers hadn’t beaten since 2021.

From Los Angeles Times

Prior to that, there had not been a fatal attack since 1963.

From BBC

Related Words

• afterward 
• ago 
• already 
• later 
• therefore 

When To Use

What are other ways to say since?

The conjunction since means “because” or “inasmuch as.” How is it different from because, as, for, and inasmuch as? Find out on Thesaurus.com.