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heretofore

[ heer-tuh-fawr, -fohr ]

/ ˌhɪər təˈfɔr, -ˈfoʊr /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR heretofore ON THESAURUS.COM

adverb

before this time; until now.

Origin of heretofore

1300–50; Middle English heretoforn, equivalent to here here + toforn, Old English tōforan ( tō to + foran before; see fore¹)

Words nearby heretofore

heresthetic, heresy, heretic, heretical, hereto, heretofore, hereunder, hereunto, hereupon, hereward, herewith

Example sentences from the Web for heretofore

Gone, too, are the heretofore immutable protections of intellectual property rights.

Van Dyke Parks on How Songwriters Are Getting Screwed in the Digital Age |Van Dyke Parks |June 4, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The intersection is essentially between the Brotherhood, the military, the revolutionaries, and the heretofore silent majority.

Morsi-less: Are Egyptians Done with the Muslim Brothers? |Hussein Ibish |July 1, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
As such, the heretofore obscure executive now occupies a place of privilege in the financial elite.

9 Fun Facts About the NYSE’s New Boss |Miranda Green |December 20, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
There will be outrage that Obama caved on his one heretofore firm condition on taxes.

Win-Win Strategy: Michael Tomasky’s Foolproof Plan for Obama |Michael Tomasky |June 12, 2012 |DAILY BEAST

Yet the Tea Party movement has generated enthusiasm in the electorate that has heretofore not been evident.

Will the Tea Party Win in November? |Doug Schoen, Will Bunch |September 22, 2010 |DAILY BEAST
Heretofore this subspecies has not been recorded from Coahuila.

Birds from Coahuila, Mexico |Emil K. Urban
This was the home to which she had heretofore been accustomed.

Interrupted |Pansy
Heretofore, while there had been much discussion as to the breeding of racing dogs, it had been largely theoretical.

The Land of Tomorrow |William B Stephenson, Jr.
Our road still lay along shore, and, as the weather was getting colder, we proceeded along much more easily than heretofore.

Hudson Bay |R.M. Ballantyne
So instead, heretofore, of retiring in defeat, the weakest had retired in apparent victory.

The Homesteader |Oscar Micheaux

British Dictionary definitions for heretofore

heretofore

/ (ˌhɪətʊˈfɔː) /

adverb

formal until now; before this time

adjective

obsolete previous; former

noun

the heretofore archaic the past