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therefore

UK/ˈðɛə.fɔː/US/ˈðɛɹ.fɔɹ/
adverbB1Very common — you will meet it every day · #1,482 of 15,258leans writtenformal · an editor’s judgement

Therefore means for that reason, and it follows that. The step that turns two facts into a conclusion.

It is the standard connector of logic and formal argument, and it belongs to reports, proofs and legal writing rather than to conversation, where people say so. It usually sits after the subject or at the start of a clause, with a comma. Do not confuse it with therefor, an old legal word meaning for that thing. The most famous sentence in philosophy uses it, since I think, therefore I am is the whole argument in five words.

Definitions of therefore

  1. 1adverbthereforeFor that reason; as a result.B1

    “The train was cancelled and she was therefore late.”

Where it comes from

  1. Middle English

    therfore

  2. English, today

    therefore

From Middle English therfore, therfor, tharfore, thorfore; synchronically a there + for. 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 stq deerfoar, Dutch daarvoor, German dafür, Danish - and Norwegian derfor, Swedish därför.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in A Man Called Ove

First appears in chapter 13 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word

therefore in the wild

  • Fullbacks are therefore the last line of defence, having to tackle any opposition players and regather the ball from any kicks that make it through their teammates.

    Fullback (rugby league)

  • The term "web page" is therefore a metaphor of paper pages bound together into a book.

    Web page

  • Therefore Mayo gave over his efforts and hurried back to the long-boat.

    Blow The Man Down: A Romance Of The Coast· Holman Day

  • Such under-takings, therefore, may be, and accordingly frequently are, very successfully managed by joint-stock companies, without any exclusive privilege.

    An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations· Adam Smith

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

From Project Gutenberg, public domain. These sentences are from real books, shown to illustrate the word at work.