therefore

there·fore
T1H4E1R1E1F4O1R1E1
UK/ˈðɛə.fɔː/British, Southern, Standard/ˈðɛːfoː/Northern England/ˈðɛːfɔː//ˈðɜː(ɹ)fɔː(ɹ)/

adverb

Consequently, by or in consequence of that or this cause; referring to something previously stated.

“I've been explicitly forbidden to leave and therefore must stay longer.”

Similar
sothusto that endto this endhencethenaccordinglyas a result
Opposite
neverthelessto that endto this end
OriginMiddle English therfore →
Very commonScrabble 15
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Meanings

adverbtherefore (not comparable)
  1. conjunctivenot comparableConsequently, by or in consequence of that or this cause; referring to something previously stated.

    I've been explicitly forbidden to leave and therefore must stay longer.

    5 more examples

    Traditional values will always have a place—therefore, they will never lose relevance.

    I left the office at 5 o'clock. I was therefore not there when the fire started a quarter of an hour later.

    I have married a wife, and therefore I can not come.

    1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Luke 14:20

    Je pense, donc je suis (I think, therefore I am)

    1637, René Descartes, Discourse on the Method

    In the old days, to my commonplace and unobserving mind, he gave no evidences of genius whatsoever. He never read me any of his manuscripts, […], and therefore my lack of detection of his promise may in some degree be pardoned.

    1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter I, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC

    Synonyms: so, thus, to that end, to this end, hence

  2. archaicconjunctivenot comparableFor that; for it (in reference to a previous statement).

    Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?

    1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 19:27

Synonyms & antonyms

adverbConsequently, by or in consequence of that or this cause; referring to something previously stated.

Similar
sothusto that endto this endhence
Similar
thenaccordinglyas a resultit follows thattherebyeo ipso∴as suchconsequentlyergoin consequencein that casepursuantlysubsequentlythencewhencewherefore
Opposite
neverthelessto that endto this end

More synonyms by meaning

adverb(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result

Similar
hencethencethusso

adverbas a consequence

Similar
consequently
Also see
accordinglybecauseby extensionconsequentlyhencepursuantlysothencetherebythusto that end

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Middle Englishtherfore
  2. Englishtherefore

From Middle English therfore, therfor, tharfore, thorfore; synchronically a univerbation of there (pronominal adverb) + for, literally “for that (reason)”. The spelling has been changed due to a reanalysis as there + fore (literally “forward from that; thence”). See also therefor, ultimately the same formation. Compare Saterland Frisian deerfoar, Dutch daarvoor, German dafür, Danish and Norwegian derfor, Swedish därför.

More words from Middle English

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek διό, οὖν
  • διό (dió)consequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • οὖν (oûn)(archaic) for that or this reason
  • τοίνυν (toínun)(archaic) for that or this reason
Arabic إِذَنْ, لِذٰلِكَ
  • إِذَنْ (ʔiḏan)consequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • لِذٰلِكَ (liḏālika)consequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • لِذٰلِكَ (liḏālika)(archaic) for that or this reason
  • لِهٰذَا (lihāḏā)(archaic) for that or this reason
Bulgarian следователно, затова́
  • следователно (sledovatelno)consequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • затова́ (zatová)(archaic) for that or this reason
Catalan per tant, per això
  • per tant(archaic) for that or this reason
  • per això(archaic) for that or this reason
Chinese Mandarin 所以, 因此
  • 所以 (suǒyǐ)consequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • 因此 (yīncǐ)consequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • 所以 (suǒyǐ)(archaic) for that or this reason
  • 因此 (yīncǐ)(archaic) for that or this reason
Czech proto, tudíž
  • protoconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • tudížconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • proto(archaic) for that or this reason
Danish derfor, derfor
  • derforconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • derfor(archaic) for that or this reason
Dutch daarom, bijgevolg
  • daaromconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • bijgevolgconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • daardoorconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • waardoorconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • daarom(archaic) for that or this reason
  • daarvoor(archaic) for that or this reason
Esperanto do, konsekvence
  • doconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • konsekvenceconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • tial(archaic) for that or this reason
  • tial ĉi(archaic) for that or this reason
  • ĉi tial(archaic) for that or this reason
  • pro kio(archaic) for that or this reason
Estonian sellepärast, seetõttu
  • sellepärast(archaic) for that or this reason
  • seetõttu(archaic) for that or this reason
Finnish joten, siten
  • jotenconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • sitenconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • siksi(archaic) for that or this reason
  • sen vuoksi(archaic) for that or this reason
  • sen takia(archaic) for that or this reason
  • joten(archaic) for that or this reason
French par conséquent, en conséquence
  • par conséquentconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • en conséquenceconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • doncconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • donc(archaic) for that or this reason
  • pour ça(archaic) for that or this reason
  • en conséquence(archaic) for that or this reason
German deswegen, deshalb
  • deswegenconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • deshalbconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • darumconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • also (folglich)(archaic) for that or this reason
  • daher(archaic) for that or this reason
  • sonach(archaic) for that or this reason
  • darum(archaic) for that or this reason
  • demnach(archaic) for that or this reason
  • demzufolge(archaic) for that or this reason
  • deshalb(archaic) for that or this reason
  • deswegen(archaic) for that or this reason
  • mithin(archaic) for that or this reason
Greek επομένως, οπότε
  • επομένως (epoménos)consequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • οπότε (opóte)consequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • άρα (ára)consequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • επομένως (epoménos)(archaic) for that or this reason
Hebrew אָז, עַל כֵּן
  • אָז (az)(archaic) for that or this reason
  • עַל כֵּן(archaic) for that or this reason
  • לְפִיכָךְ(archaic) for that or this reason
  • לָכֵן (lachen)(archaic) for that or this reason
Hindi इसलिए, इसलिये
  • इसलिए (islie)(archaic) for that or this reason
  • इसलिये (isliye)(archaic) for that or this reason
Hungarian következésképpen, tehát
  • következésképpenconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • tehátconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • azért(archaic) for that or this reason
  • ezért(archaic) for that or this reason
  • emiatt(archaic) for that or this reason
Icelandic þess vegna, þar af leiðir
  • þess vegnaconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • þar af leiðirconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • þar af leiðandiconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
Irish dá bhrí sin
  • dá bhrí sin(archaic) for that or this reason
Italian dunque, quindi
  • dunqueconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • quindi(archaic) for that or this reason
  • dunque(archaic) for that or this reason
  • perciò(archaic) for that or this reason
  • pertanto(archaic) for that or this reason
Japanese 従って, それ故に
  • 従って (shitagatte)consequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • それ故に (soreyue ni)(archaic) for that or this reason
  • 故に (yue ni)(archaic) for that or this reason
  • ですから (desu kara)(archaic) for that or this reason
  • 従って (shitagatte)(archaic) for that or this reason
Korean 따라서, 그래서
  • 따라서 (ttaraseo)(archaic) for that or this reason
  • 그래서 (geuraeseo)(archaic) for that or this reason
  • 그러므로 (geureomeuro)(archaic) for that or this reason
Latin igitur, ergō
  • igiturconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • ergō(archaic) for that or this reason
  • igitur(archaic) for that or this reason
  • itaque(archaic) for that or this reason
  • autem(archaic) for that or this reason
  • propterea(archaic) for that or this reason
Malay jadi, jadi
  • jadiconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • jadi(archaic) for that or this reason
Māori nā reira, mā reira
  • nā reiraconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • mā reiraconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • nā reira(archaic) for that or this reason
  • mā reira(archaic) for that or this reason
Norwegian Bokmål følgelig, således
  • følgeligconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • såledesconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • derfor(archaic) for that or this reason
Persian بدلیل آن
  • بدلیل آن (be-dalil-e ân)(archaic) for that or this reason
Polish więc, więc
  • więcconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • więc(archaic) for that or this reason
  • zatem(archaic) for that or this reason
  • dlatego(archaic) for that or this reason
  • przeto(archaic) for that or this reason
  • tak że(archaic) for that or this reason
  • toteż(archaic) for that or this reason
Portuguese portanto, consequentemente
  • portantoconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • consequentementeconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • entãoconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • portanto(archaic) for that or this reason
  • assim sendo(archaic) for that or this reason
  • por isto(archaic) for that or this reason
  • logo(archaic) for that or this reason
  • por isso(archaic) for that or this reason
Romanian deci, așadar
  • deciconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • așadarconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • prin urmareconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • deci(archaic) for that or this reason
  • așadar(archaic) for that or this reason
  • prin urmare(archaic) for that or this reason
Russian сле́довательно, зато́
  • сле́довательно (slédovatelʹno)consequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • зато́ (zató)consequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • поэ́тому (poétomu)(archaic) for that or this reason
  • потому́ (potomú)(archaic) for that or this reason
  • посему́ (posemú)(archaic) for that or this reason
Slovak teda, takže
  • tedaconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • takžeconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • preto(archaic) for that or this reason
Spanish por eso, por consiguiente
  • por esoconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • por consiguienteconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • por endeconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • por cuantoconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • por tantoconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • por lo tantoconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • por lo queconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • por eso(archaic) for that or this reason
  • por consiguiente(archaic) for that or this reason
  • por lo tanto(archaic) for that or this reason
  • por ende(archaic) for that or this reason
Swedish därför, därför
  • därförconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • därför(archaic) for that or this reason
Tagalog ergo, kaya
  • ergoconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • kayaconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • ergo(archaic) for that or this reason
Thai จึง, ดังนั้น
  • จึง (jʉng)consequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • ดังนั้น (dang-nán)(archaic) for that or this reason
  • แล้วจึง (lɛ́ɛo-jʉng)(archaic) for that or this reason
Turkish bu yüzden, bundan dolayı
  • bu yüzdenconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • bundan dolayıconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • o yüzdenconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • binaenaleyh(archaic) for that or this reason
  • bu nedenle(archaic) for that or this reason
  • bu sebeple(archaic) for that or this reason
  • bu yüzden(archaic) for that or this reason
  • o yüzden(archaic) for that or this reason
  • bundan dolayı(archaic) for that or this reason
  • dolayısıyla(archaic) for that or this reason
Ukrainian о́тже, тому́
  • о́тже (ótže)consequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • тому́ (tomú)(archaic) for that or this reason
  • зати́м (zatým)(archaic) for that or this reason
Urdu اس لئے
  • اس لئے (is li'e)(archaic) for that or this reason
Vietnamese bởi vậy, cho nên
  • bởi vậy(archaic) for that or this reason
  • cho nên(archaic) for that or this reason
  • vì thế(archaic) for that or this reason
Welsh felly
  • fellyconsequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
Yiddish דערפֿאַר, דערפֿאַר
  • דערפֿאַר (derfar)consequently; by consequence — see also consequently, ergo, so, whence, thus
  • דערפֿאַר (derfar)(archaic) for that or this reason

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with therefore

fororyourmorestorebeforefourwarsuretourmatureensureflooroutdoorcorepoorhardcorenorexplorepureMoorehorrorpourignore
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

therefore. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/therefore

MLA

“therefore.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/therefore. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “therefore,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/therefore.

Source: therefore on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.