How to Use but then in a Sentence

but then

idiom

• Her plan was to be back to work by now, but then the strike happened.
  — Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Aug. 2023
• Only a liar would deny it, but then the job just had to be done.
  — David Martin, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2023
• We kind of like each other in real life, but then there’s the show.
  — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 21 May 2024
• And some of these very same folks who want to help Israel, but then want to walk away from Ukraine?
  — CBS News, 12 Nov. 2023
• Kim’s third shot landed within 10 feet of the flag, but then rolled back some 40 feet away.
  — Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Jan. 2024
• Matthew bogeyed two holes on the front nine, but then picked up four birdies and just one bogey on the back nine.
  — Jodom, oregonlive, 25 Aug. 2023
• Sherrod stole it again with 43 seconds to go but then got hurt again in the scramble and had to be helped off the court.
  — Matthew Coles, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024
• According to reports, the victim gave Carter the shoes but then reached into the car and took one of the shoes back.
  — Stepheny Price, Fox News, 27 Mar. 2024
• You were born in Queens, but then moved to South Carolina at a very early age.
  — Fortune Editors, Fortune, 7 Dec. 2023
• Some customers do note that the comforter may be too thin — but then again that may be ideal.
  — Good Housekeeping, 7 Sep. 2023
• The girl is seen smiling at first, but then appears confused.
  — Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 26 Sep. 2023
• The man then went outside, but then pulled out a gun and went back into the house toward his girlfriend’s mom.
  — Jennifer Rodriguez, Charlotte Observer, 26 May 2024
• Erik Carrier grew up in Lake Forest, moved away but then moved back to town in 2020.
  — Daniel I. Dorfman, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2023
• Astronomers first coined this term in the 1980s, but then, for decades, it was largely forgotten.
  — Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Nov. 2023
• There was talk of walking the track to survey the route, but then Gatting found a leather recliner and sank into it.
  — Vera Carothers, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2023
• That’s serious money for a toy, but then, this does look to be a very serious toy.
  — Mike Duff, Car and Driver, 9 July 2023
• Two of the IPOs – cloud computing and logistics – were announced, but then scrapped.
  — Patrick Frater, Variety, 14 May 2024
• Not exactly Citizen Kane, but then again, it’s not meant to be.
  — Audra Heinrichs, Vogue, 6 Dec. 2023
• In Hindu mythology, a serpent god, Rahu Ketu, wanted to eat the sun — but then his head was cut off.
  — Bill Chappell, NPR, 8 Apr. 2024
• Szymon also moved to Warsaw for a time but then returned to Drozdowo to grow leeks on the family farm.
  — Andrew Higgins, New York Times, 29 Oct. 2023
• Erik Thommy made it 3-2, finishing a one-on-one chance, but then came the old storyline that has popped up for Sporting.
  — Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 21 Apr. 2024
• Water them infrequently, but then give them a big, long drink.
  — House Beautiful, 18 July 2023
• Your great-grandfather went to college at Howard, but then returned to Jamaica?
  — Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 9 July 2023
• His wife and one son joined him, the documents claim, per the outlet, but then Doerman allegedly took his gun and shot his son.
  — Corin Cesaric, Peoplemag, 4 May 2024
• Like why does someone reach out via Facebook but then want to talk further on Instagram?
  — Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 26 Mar. 2024
• In a statement, the ministry said the Norwegian plane had neared Russian airspace but then had moved away after the Russian jet approached.
  — NBC News, 24 Aug. 2023
• The team started poorly, attracting a boundary penalty, but then caught up and sailed past the Danish team and nearly lapped the Australians.
  — Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2023
• Bautista, who pitched a scoreless ninth to send the game to extras, hit the first batter of the 10th but then struck out Randy Arozarena and got Brandon Lowe to ground into a game-ending double play.
  — Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 20 July 2023
• Many wealthy Chinese art collectors buy art in Hong Kong but then leave it in storage there, showing photos of it to friends on their cellphones.
  — Keith Bradsher, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2023
• Still, now a state senator but then the state GOP’s finance chair, stood at the door and initially blocked media and the public from entering the room where the electors would meet.
  — Adriana Usero, Washington Post, 14 Aug. 2023

Last Updated: 27 Jun 2024