thereof

thereof — adverb

1. referring back to something that has just been named in a document or discussion

1.adverbC1
Definition

referring back to something that has just been named in a document or discussion, used to avoid repeating the noun.

Example

The company shall pay the full amount thereof within thirty days.

amount + thereof in payment context

The contract and all amendments thereof must be signed by both parties.

N + amendments thereof — legal collocation

Common collocations
  • N + thereof
  • any part(s) thereof
  • the terms thereof
  • the provisions thereof
  • the amount thereof
  • copies thereof
Synonyms
  • of it

    everyday equivalent; less formal than 'thereof'

  • of that

    common in spoken English; 'thereof' is restricted to writing

  • of the same

    used in legal and commercial writing alongside 'thereof'

Grammar Patterns

N + thereof

Usage Note

Almost exclusively used in legal, administrative, or formal written English. It always refers back to a noun phrase mentioned earlier in the same sentence or clause. Does not occur in everyday conversation.

Common Mistakes

Please read the document thereof before signing.
Please read the document and the terms thereof before signing.
'thereof' cannot directly follow a noun as a modifier; it replaces 'of + noun' and needs a preceding noun it refers to.
I saw the problem and the solution thereof quickly.
I saw the problem and quickly found its solution.
'thereof' sounds unnatural in casual speech; use 'of it' or a possessive instead.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

All four words belong to the formal family of 'there-' compounds where 'there' replaces a previously mentioned noun phrase. 'Thereof' means 'of that thing' (the terms thereof = the terms of the agreement) and is the most common of the set in modern writing. 'Therein' means 'in that thing' (the box and the documents therein). 'Thereto' means 'to that thing' (the contract and the schedules thereto). 'Therefrom' means 'from that thing' (the investment and the profits derived therefrom). Only 'thereof' appears with moderate frequency outside purely legal templates; the other three are largely confined to legal boilerplate and formal administrative texts.

thereof ↗therein ↗theretotherefrom

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • N thereof
  • any part(s) thereof
  • the terms thereof

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Formed in Middle English by combining 'there' (from Old English þǣr, meaning 'in that place') with 'of' (from Old English of, meaning 'away from'). Modeled on Anglo-Norman legal phrasing, it functioned as a compact way to say 'of that' without repeating the noun. First recorded in the 13th century and still used in formal and legal English today.