Pronunciation

/sɪns/

Definitions

• Adverb: Expressing duration, from a point in time until now or a specified point in the future. For example: “I’ve been working here since 2010.”
• Preposition: Denotes a starting point or reference point in time. For example: “She’s been living in New York since her childhood.”
• Conjunction: Used to introduce a reason or cause. For example: “He didn’t come because he was sick since last week.”

Phrases

• “Since then” indicates a point in time from which something has continued.
• “Ever since” suggests a particular event as the starting point of a continuous action.
• “From that moment on” conveys a similar meaning to “since”.

Example Sentences

• Duration: “I’ve known him since we were kids.”
• Starting point: “She’s lived in this house since she bought it.”
• Cause: “He’s been feeling unwell since he woke up.”

Synonyms

• From
• After
• Ever
• Since the beginning
• Owing to
• Due to

Usage Note

In addition to its temporal usage, “since” can also be used with continuous tenses to express a duration (e.g., “I’ve been studying since 5 PM”). However, this construction is more common in informal spoken English. In formal writing, it is often followed by a point in time (e.g., “I’ve been studying since 5 PM last Friday”).