Hither - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

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SKIP TO CONTENT hither /ˈhɪðər/ IPA guide

Other forms: hithers

Hither is a fancy or old-fashioned way to say "here." Your grandmother might jokingly call everyone for dinner by saying, "Come hither! Soup's on!"

Language experts consider hither to be a "fossil word," one that is still regularly used within various idioms despite being otherwise obsolete. You may find it in the phrases "hither and thither" or "hither and yon," both of which mean "here and there," in the sense of a disorganized or confused movement back and forth. Hither shares a root with its modern relative here.

Definitions of hither

adverb to this place (especially toward the speaker) synonyms: here

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Vocabulary lists containing hither

Much Ado About Nothing William Shakespeare

Tired of their constant bickering, Beatrice and Benedick's friends hatch a plan to get the two to fall in love. Learn these words from Shakespeare's comedy about fidelity and deception. Read the full text here.

"When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d" by Walt Whitman

Whitman wrote this elegy, or poem of mourning, in response to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Here are links to our lists for other poems by Walt Whitman: Song of Myself, O Captain! My Captain!, A Noiseless Patient Spider

Twelfth Night William Shakespeare

After a shipwreck separates her from her twin brother, Viola disguises herself as a man so she can pass safely through the land of Illyria. There she befriends Duke Orsino and tries to help him win the affections of Countess Olivia. Read the full text here.

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