since

See also: sińce and síňce

English

Alternative forms

• sence (archaic)

Etymology

From Middle English syns, synnes, contraction of earlier sithens, sithence, from sithen (“after, since”) ( + -s, adverbial genitive suffix), from Old English sīþþan, from the phrase sīþ þǣm (“after/since that (time)”), from sīþ (“since, after”) + þǣm dative singular of þæt. Cognate with Dutch sinds (“since”), German seit (“since”), Danish siden (“since”), Icelandic síðan (“since”) Scots syne (“since”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɪns/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪns
• Homophones: sense, cents, scents (some dialects)
• Hyphenation: since

Adverb

since (not comparable)

1. From a specified time in the past.

   I met him last year, but haven't seen him since.

   A short/long time since

Derived terms

• ever since

Translations

from a specified time in the past

• Azerbaijani: bəri, etibarən
• Bulgarian: оттогава (bg) (ottogava)
• Catalan: de llavors (ençà), d'aleshores (ençà)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 從那以後 / 从那以后 (cóng nà yǐhòu), 後來 / 后来 (zh) (hòulái)

• Dutch: sindsdien (nl)
• Esperanto: ekde (eo), de kiam
• Finnish: sen jälkeen, siitä lähtien
• French: depuis (fr)
• Galician: dende (gl), desde (gl)
• German: seitdem (de), seither (de)
• Gothic: 𐌸𐌰𐌽𐌰𐍃𐌴𐌹𐌸𐍃 (þanaseiþs)
• Greek: από τότε (apó tóte)
• Hungarian: azóta (hu)
• Ido: depose (io)
• Italian: da allora
• Khmer: តាំងពី (taŋ pii)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: jê pê va, jê şûn va, jê va (ku)

• Lao: please add this translation if you can
• Latin: ab eō tempore
• Latvian: kopš tā laika
• Malayalam: മുതൽ (ml) (mutal)
• Manchu: ᡝᠪᠰᡳ (ebsi)
• Maori: mai rā anō, mai rānō, mai i
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: siden (no)

  Nynorsk: sidan

• Polish: odtąd (pl)
• Portuguese: desde (pt), desde então
• Romanian: de atunci
• Spanish: desde entonces
• Swedish: sedan dess (formal, written language), sen dess (informal, spoken language)
• Thai: ตั้งแต่ (th) (dtâng dtàe)
• Welsh: ers hynny

Preposition

since

1. From: referring to a period of time ending in the present and defining it by the point in time at which it started, or the period in which its starting point occurred.
   1. Continuously during that period of time.

      I have known her since last year.

      • 2013 June 29, “Unspontaneous combustion”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 29:

        Since the mid-1980s, when Indonesia first began to clear its bountiful forests on an industrial scale in favour of lucrative palm-oil plantations, “haze” has become an almost annual occurrence in South-East Asia.

      • 2013 September-October, Simson Garfinkel, “Digital Forensics”, in American Scientist:

        Since the 1980s, computers have had increasing roles in all aspects of human life—including an involvement in criminal acts.

   2. At certain points during that period of time.
      • 2012 April 19, Josh Halliday, “Free speech haven or lawless cesspool – can the internet be civilised?”, in the Guardian:

        "Mujtahidd" has attracted almost 300,000 followers since the end of last year, when he began posting scandalous claims about the Saudi elite.

Antonyms

• until

Derived terms

• best thing since sliced bread
• best thing since sliced pan
• greatest thing since sliced bread
• long since
• since Adam was an oakum boy
• since Adam was an oakum boy in Chatham Dockyard
• since Hector was a pup
• since long
• since Skippy was a pup
• since when

 

Translations

from (time)

• Afrikaans: please add this translation if you can
• Albanian: please add this translation if you can
• Amharic: please add this translation if you can
• Arabic: مُنْذُ (ar) (munḏu)

  Moroccan Arabic: من (mən)

  North Levantine Arabic: من (min)

  South Levantine Arabic: من (min)

• Armenian: սկսած (sksac), -ից (-icʻ)
• Asturian: dende (ast), desde (ast)
• Azerbaijani: please add this translation if you can
• Belarusian: з (z)
• Bengali: অবধি (bn) (obodhi), থেকে (bn) (theke), হতে (bn) (hote), হইতে (bn) (hoite)
• Bulgarian: от (bg) (ot)
• Burmese: ကတည်းက (my) (ka.tany:ka.)
• Catalan: de ... ençà
• Cherokee: please add this translation if you can
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 自從 / 自从 (zh) (zìcóng), 自 (zh) (zì), 從 / 从 (zh) (cóng)

• Czech: od (cs), od té doby (cs)
• Danish: siden (da)
• Dutch: sinds (nl), sedert (nl)
• Esperanto: ekde (eo), depost (eo)
• Estonian: alates, saadik, saati, peale (et)
• Ewe: tso
• Finnish: lähtien (fi)
• French: depuis (fr)
• Friulian: please add this translation if you can
• Galician: desde (gl), dende (gl)
• Georgian: -დან (-dan)
• German: seit (de)
• Greek: από (el) (apó), εδώ και (edó kai)

  Ancient: ἐκ (ek)

• Guaraní: guive (gn)
• Gujarati: please add this translation if you can
• Haitian Creole: depi
• Hausa: please add this translation if you can
• Hawaiian: mahope mai
• Hebrew: מאז (me'áz)
• Hindi: ... से (hi) (... se)
• Hungarian: óta (hu)
• Icelandic: síðan (is)
• Ido: depos (io)
• Igbo: please add this translation if you can
• Indonesian: sejak (id), dari (id), mulai (id), sejak dari, mulai dari
• Interlingua: de (ia), desde (ia), a partir de
• Irish: ó
• Italian: da (it), a partire da
• Japanese: …以来 (ja) (...irai), …から (ja) (...kara), …より (ja) (...yori)
• Khmer: ចាប់តាំងពី (cap taŋ pii), តាំងពី (taŋ pii)
• Korean: 부터 (ko) (buteo), 후 (ko) (hu)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: ji ... ve (ku)

• Lao: ຕັ້ງແຕ່ (tang tǣ)
• Latin: abhinc (la), ab (la), a (la)
• Latvian: kopš
• Lithuanian: nuo
• Luxembourgish: zënter (lb), zanter (lb)
• Malay: sejak (ms)
• Malayalam: മുതൽ (ml) (mutal)
• Manchu: (both postposition) ᠴᡳ (‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍ci) (colloquial) ᡩᡝᡵᡳ (deri)
• Maori: please add this translation if you can
• Norman: dépis (Guernsey)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: siden (no)

  Nynorsk: sidan

• Occitan: dempuèi (oc), despuèi (oc)
• Odia: please add this translation if you can
• Persian: از (fa) (az)
• Polish: od (pl)
• Portuguese: desde (pt), a partir de (pt)
• Punjabi: please add this translation if you can
• Romanian: de la, din (ro)
• Russian: с (ru) (s)
• Scots: syne
• Scottish Gaelic: o chionn
• Sinhalese: please add this translation if you can
• Slovak: od
• Slovene: please add this translation if you can
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: wót

• Spanish: desde (es)
• Swahili: tangu (sw)
• Swedish: sedan (sv) (formal, written language), sen (sv) (informal, spoken language)
• Tamil: please add this translation if you can
• Telugu: నుండి (te) (nuṇḍi), నుంచి (nuñci)
• Thai: ตั้งแต่ (th) (dtâng dtàe)
• Tibetan: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: beri (tr)
• Ukrainian: з (uk) (z), від (uk) (vid)
• Urdu: ... سے (... se)
• Vietnamese: từ (vi), từ khi (vi)
• Volapük: sis (vo)
• Walloon: dispoy (wa), dispu (wa)
• Welsh: ers, er
• West Frisian: sûnt

Conjunction

since

1. From the time that.

   I have loved you since I first met you.

   • 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:

     He had one hand on the bounce bottle—and he'd never let go of that since he got back to the table—but he had a handkerchief in the other and was swabbing his deadlights with it.

2. Because.

   Since you didn't call, we left without you.

   • 1963, Margery Allingham, “Eye Witness”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC, page 249:

     The story struck the depressingly familiar note with which true stories ring in the tried ears of experienced policemen. […] The second note, the high alarum, not so familiar and always important since it indicates the paramount sin in Man's private calendar, took most of them by surprise although they had been well prepared.

   • 1970, Jack M. Guttentag, “New Series on Home Mortgage Yields Since 1951, Volume 92”, in National Bureau of Economic Research, page 132:

     Since disbursement is the last step in the process of creating a mortgage instrument, the disbursement date may lag the transaction date by a considerable period.

3. (obsolete) When or that.
   • c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii], page 87, column 2:

     O ſir Iohn, doe you remember ſince wee lay all night in the Winde-mill, in S Georges field.

Synonyms

• (from the time that): sithen (obsolete); see also Thesaurus:since
• (because): sith (obsolete); see also Thesaurus:because

Translations

from the time that

• Arabic: مُنْذُ (ar) (munḏu)
• Bulgarian: откакто (bg) (otkakto)
• Catalan: d'ençà que, des que
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 自從 / 自从 (zh) (zìcóng), 自 (zh) (zì), 從 / 从 (zh) (cóng)

• Cornish: a-ban
• Czech: od té doby (cs)
• Danish: siden (da)
• Dutch: sinds (nl), sedert (nl)
• Ewe: tso
• Finnish: siitä lähtien, kun; sen jälkeen, kun
• French: depuis que (fr)
• Galician: des que, desque
• Georgian: რაც (rac), მას შემდეგ, რაც (mas šemdeg, rac)
• German: seitdem (de), seit (de)
• Greek: από τότε που (apó tóte pou), έκτοτε (el) (éktote)

  Ancient: ἐπειδή (epeidḗ)

• Hungarian: mióta (hu), amióta (hu)
• Interlingua: desde que, post que
• Irish: ó

  Old Irish: ó

• Italian: da quando, dacché (it)
• Japanese: …から (ja) (...kara), …より (ja) (...yori)
• Khmer: ចាប់តាំងពី (cap taŋ pii), តាំងពី (taŋ pii)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: ji dema ku (ku)

• Lao: please add this translation if you can
• Latin: postquam (la), ex quō tempore
• Latvian: kopš
• Malay: sejak (ms)
• Malayalam: മുതൽ (ml) (mutal)
• Maltese: minn mindu
• Ngazidja Comorian: rangu
• Norman: dépis (Guernsey)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: siden (no)

  Nynorsk: sidan

• Persian: از زمانی که
• Polish: od czasu kiedy, odkąd (pl), od kiedy
• Portuguese: desde que, desde quando
• Romanian: de când
• Russian: с тех пор как (s tex por kak)
• Scottish Gaelic: on a
• Slovene: odkar
• Spanish: desde que
• Swahili: tangu (sw)
• Swedish: sedan (sv) (formal, written language), sen (sv) (informal, spoken language)
• Thai: ตั้งแต่ครั้ง (dtâng dtàe kráng)
• Turkish: beri (tr)
• Ukrainian: відто́ді (vidtódi)
• Vietnamese: kể từ lúc
• Walloon: dispoy ki (wa), dispu ki (wa)
• Welsh: ers, er
• Yiddish: זינט (zint)

because

• Arabic: لِأَنَّ (liʔanna)

  South Levantine Arabic: بما إنّه (bi-ma ʔinno), طالما (ṭāla-ma)

• Bulgarian: тъй като (tǎj kato)
• Catalan: puix que, atès que, com que
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 因為 / 因为 (zh) (yīnwèi), (more formal) 由於 / 由于 (zh) (yóuyú)

• Czech: protože (cs), jelikož (cs)
• Dutch: aangezien (nl), omdat (nl)
• Esperanto: ĉar (eo)
• Finnish: koska (fi), sillä (fi)
• French: puisque (fr), vu que (fr), étant donné que (fr)
• Galician: como (gl)
• German: weil (de), da (de)
• Greek: αφού (el) (afoú), επειδή (el) (epeidí), μια και (el) (mia kai)

  Ancient: γάρ (gár), ἐπεί (epeí)

• Hawaiian: no ka mea
• Hungarian: mivel (hu), minthogy (hu)
• Indonesian: karena (id)
• Interlingua: proque
• Irish: ó
• Italian: siccome (it), poiché (it), giacché (it), dacché (it), visto che (it), dato che
• Japanese: …ので (ja) (…node), …ため (ja) (…tame), ……により (…ni yori), …によって (ja) (…ni yotte), …から (ja) (…kara)
• Khmer: ដោយសារតែ (daoy saa tae)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: ji ber ku (ku)

• Lao: please add this translation if you can
• Latin: quoniam (la), quippe quī
• Latvian: tā kā
• Lithuanian: kadangi (lt)
• Macedonian: чунки (čunki), бидејќи (bidejḱi)
• Malayalam: കാരണം (ml) (kāraṇaṁ)
• Maore Comorian: ha iv̄o
• Norwegian: fordi (no), ettersom (no)

  Bokmål: siden (no), da (no)

  Nynorsk: sidan, etter di

• Persian: از آنجایی که (fa)
• Polish: ponieważ (pl), skoro (pl)
• Portuguese: já que (pt), porque (pt), pois (pt), visto que, uma vez que, como (pt)
• Romanian: deoarece (ro)
• Russian: поско́льку (ru) (poskólʹku), потому́ что (ru) (potomú što), так как (ru) (tak kak)
• Scottish Gaelic: oir, thoradh
• Slovene: ker (sl)
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: dokulaž

• Spanish: ya que (es), dado que (es), visto que, porque (es), supuesto que
• Swedish: då (sv)
• Thai: เนื่องจาก (th) (nêuang jàak)
• Turkish: -den (tr), için (tr)
• Ukrainian: тому́ (uk) (tomú), так як (tak jak)
• Walloon: come (wa), puski (wa), veyanmint ki (wa)
• Welsh: gan

Anagrams

• *nices, censi, escin, icens, nices, scien, snice