Pronunciation: /ðæn/

Definitions of than

preposition a word governing, and usually preceding, a noun or pronoun and expressing a relation to another word or element in the clause

Example Sentences

A1 I am taller than my sister.

A2 I would rather stay home than go out.

B1 She is more interested in science than in art.

B2 He is a better swimmer than I am.

C1 There are more challenges to overcome in this project than we anticipated.

C2 The results were even more impressive than we had hoped for.

conjunction a word used to connect clauses or sentences or to coordinate words in the same clause

Example Sentences

A1 I am taller than my brother.

A2 She is more patient than he is.

B1 I would rather stay home than go out tonight.

B2 He is more interested in science fiction movies than in romantic comedies.

C1 There is more to this situation than meets the eye.

C2 The implications of this decision are more complex than we initially thought.

Examples of than in a Sentence

formal The data suggests that the new algorithm is more efficient than the previous one.

informal I think pizza is better than burgers.

slang I'd rather chill at home than go out tonight.

figurative His words cut deeper than any knife could.

Grammatical Forms of than

past tense

thaned

plural

thans

comparative

more than

superlative

most than

present tense

than

future tense

will than

perfect tense

have thanned

continuous tense

is thaning

singular

than

positive degree

than

infinitive

to than

gerund

thaning

participle

thaning

Origin and Evolution of than

First Known Use: 1250 year
Language of Origin: Old English
Story behind the word: The word 'than' originated from the Old English word 'þanne' which was derived from the Proto-Germanic word 'thana'.
Evolution of the word: Originally used as a comparative conjunction, 'than' evolved over time to become a commonly used word in English grammar to make comparisons between two things or people.