heretofore
adverb
here·to·fore
ˈhir-tə-ˌfȯr 
ˌhir-tə-ˈfȯr
: up to this time : hitherto
heretofore unimaginable possibilities
I tell you now what we have heretofore kept secret from you—
A. C. Whitehead
A. C. Whitehead
Examples of heretofore in a Sentence
Heretofore her writing has never displayed such depth of feeling.
This technology has created heretofore unimaginable possibilities.
Recent Examples on the Web
One of the clowns, a teen-age girl waddling about in a penguin suit, produced a hula hoop, a device heretofore unknown in Al-Hol.
—Anand Gopal, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024
The unmasking of an antisemitism, cloaked in ethical superiority yet openly calling for genocide, has left young diaspora Jews betrayed, and some have embraced a feeling heretofore unknown: Zionism.
—TIME, 20 Feb. 2024
These performances promise to be a little bit of everything, with much of that heretofore described Cleese magic.
—David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2024
But the fifth episode drifts away from the trio of protagonists to focus on characters that have heretofore existed in the background, sometimes literally.
—Rebecca Sun, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Feb. 2024
To supply power to Calistoga during PSPS events, PG&E has heretofore carted in huge, high carbon-footprint diesel generators and installed them at a local dog park in the center of town.
—Erik Kobayashi-Solomon, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
But after the safety against the Browns, Donald did something heretofore not seen: Donald, arm around Turner’s shoulder, skipped out of the end zone.
—Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 8 Dec. 2023
But Lee’s words can also be deployed as a plea and call to action for writers, casting directors, producers and studio executives that might be interested in drawing out the untapped potential of performers who have heretofore been placed in a box, limited and unable to express their full humanity.
—Rebecca Sun, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Jan. 2024
The first of its kind, the Sphere represents the apex of 2023’s defining concert experience: Watching your favorite musicians in real life, as projected—and sometimes distorted—through a heretofore unimaginable use of screens.
—Julianne Escobedo Shepherd, Pitchfork, 13 Dec. 2023
Anand Gopal, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024
The unmasking of an antisemitism, cloaked in ethical superiority yet openly calling for genocide, has left young diaspora Jews betrayed, and some have embraced a feeling heretofore unknown: Zionism.
—TIME, 20 Feb. 2024
These performances promise to be a little bit of everything, with much of that heretofore described Cleese magic.
—David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2024
But the fifth episode drifts away from the trio of protagonists to focus on characters that have heretofore existed in the background, sometimes literally.
—Rebecca Sun, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Feb. 2024
To supply power to Calistoga during PSPS events, PG&E has heretofore carted in huge, high carbon-footprint diesel generators and installed them at a local dog park in the center of town.
—Erik Kobayashi-Solomon, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
But after the safety against the Browns, Donald did something heretofore not seen: Donald, arm around Turner’s shoulder, skipped out of the end zone.
—Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 8 Dec. 2023
But Lee’s words can also be deployed as a plea and call to action for writers, casting directors, producers and studio executives that might be interested in drawing out the untapped potential of performers who have heretofore been placed in a box, limited and unable to express their full humanity.
—Rebecca Sun, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Jan. 2024
The first of its kind, the Sphere represents the apex of 2023’s defining concert experience: Watching your favorite musicians in real life, as projected—and sometimes distorted—through a heretofore unimaginable use of screens.
—Julianne Escobedo Shepherd, Pitchfork, 13 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'heretofore.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near heretofore
Cite this Entry
“Heretofore.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heretofore. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
heretofore
adverb
here·to·fore
ˈhi(ə)rt-ə-ˌfō(ə)r
-ˌfȯ(ə)r;
ˌhirt-ə-ˈfō(ə)r,
-ˈfȯ(ə)r
: up to this time
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