herewith

IPA/ˌhɪəˈwɪð/
KK[hˈɪrwˈɪθ]IPA/ˌhɪrˈwɪð/

herewith — adverb

1. along with the letter, email, or document you are reading right now — used in ve

1.adverbC2
Definition

along with the letter, email, or document you are reading right now — used in very formal business or legal writing to point at something sent in the same package.

Example

Please find herewith the signed contract for your records.

fixed phrase: please find herewith + noun phrase

The receipt for last month's rent is attached herewith for your reference.

passive: be attached herewith

Common collocations
  • please find herewith
  • attached herewith
  • enclosed herewith
  • submitted herewith
Synonyms
  • enclosed

    more common; works in any register

  • attached

    standard email register; preferred over 'herewith' today

  • hereto

    equally archaic; usually paired with 'attached'

Grammar Patterns

sent + herewith

enclosed + herewith

Usage Note

Almost exclusively confined to formal letters, legal filings, and corporate correspondence. Frequently appears in fixed phrases like 'please find herewith', 'attached herewith', and 'enclosed herewith'. In modern email, 'attached' or 'enclosed' alone is preferred.

Common Mistakes

I am sending herewith you the report.
I am sending you the report herewith.
'herewith' modifies the verb and cannot split a verb from its indirect object.
Can you herewith the photos?
Please find the photos attached herewith.
'herewith' is an adverb, never a verb.

2. through the very statement or action being made now — used in legal, ceremonial,

2.adverbC2
Definition

through the very statement or action being made now — used in legal, ceremonial, or official declarations to mark that the words themselves perform the act.

Example

The committee herewith resolves to suspend all future meetings until further notice.

performative: subject + herewith + verb in declarations

Lan herewith declares that all statements in this affidavit are true and correct.

first-person declaration in legal documents

Common collocations
  • herewith resolves
  • herewith declares
  • herewith grants
  • herewith agrees
Synonyms
  • hereby

    near-perfect substitute and far more common in modern legal writing

  • thereby

    describes a result; 'herewith' marks the immediate act itself

Grammar Patterns

subject + herewith + verb

Usage Note

Distinct from sense 1 (ENCLOSED): here the adverb does not point at a physical attachment but signals that the speech act itself does the deed. Common in resolutions, affidavits, decrees, and ceremonial writing. Synonymous with 'hereby' in this sense, and 'hereby' is the modern choice in nearly every context.

Common Mistakes

I herewith call you yesterday.
I hereby called you yesterday.' (Neither is natural
but 'herewith' / 'hereby' only mark a present, immediate act.) — these adverbs cannot describe past or future events.
Herewith I think we should leave.
I therefore think we should leave.
'herewith' is not a casual sentence connector; it marks a formal performative act.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

All four point a reader at something that travels with a document, but the registers and uses diverge sharply. 'Herewith' is the most archaic, surviving mainly in formal letters and legal filings (please find herewith the invoice). 'Hereby' overlaps with 'herewith' only in the performative sense (the committee hereby resolves) and is the modern choice for declarations and decrees. 'Enclosed' is the everyday workhorse — it works equally well in business letters and casual notes, and it can act as adjective or adverb (the photo is enclosed; enclosed is the photo). 'Attached' is the email-era successor: in any digital message, 'please find attached' has all but replaced 'please find herewith'. Use 'herewith' only when imitating legal or ceremonial style; otherwise 'attached' or 'enclosed' will sound natural.

herewith ↗hereby ↗enclosed ↗attached ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • please find herewith
  • attached herewith
  • enclosed herewith
  • submitted herewith
  • herewith resolves
  • herewith declares

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Formed in late Middle English by joining 'here' (this place, this point) with the preposition 'with', on the pattern of older compound adverbs like 'herein', 'hereto', and 'hereby'. The construction packages 'with this' into a single formal adverb, and survived into modern English mainly in the conservative registers of law, commerce, and official correspondence.