than
984
1.0
- subordinating conjunction
- /ðæn/
:
cuando
- No sooner were the words out of his mouth than he realized he had been tricked.
Examples
-
I will not let a friend of mine rot in prison longer than is absolutely necessary.
-
No more than I was to be born.
-
No sooner had the lecture ended than we left the classroom.
-
He had barely finished his meal than the fire alarm went off.
-
We can start the meeting no sooner than everyone arrives.
Idioms
- Baby Talk
∞
9.9
People use it jokingly and informally to say something is better than another
- Informal
14
4.6
A person with a very strong, exciting personality who attracts attention
- Informal
A joking remark to someone who stands in the way and blocks the view
Stopping a problem early is better than fixing it later
- Offensive
A person who has extra fat under the chin that makes several folds
- Offensive
A person who has many chins because they gained weight
- Informal
An attempt to fix a problem that makes things worse than before
- Informal
To fail very quickly and completely with no chance to get better
Compounds
- Specialized
1
5.9
An aircraft that floats because it is lighter than the air, like a balloon or airship
- Specialized
1
7.1
A flying machine like a plane that must use wings or rotors to lift itself up
- Informal
To say something is larger than another thing in a playful, not correct way
- Specialized
A machine like an airplane or helicopter that needs power to fly
Surface Forms
Etymology
Than is from the same old word as then, which had a time meaning like 'as soon as' or 'at that time'. That's why in expressions like 'no sooner... than' it keeps the time sense and shows that one event came immediately after another.