thank
Americanverb (used with object)
noun
interjection
idioms
-
no thanks to, (used to express annoyance) not owing to.
I caught my flight after all, no thanks to you.
-
thanks to, (used to express gratitude or blame) because of; owing to.
Thanks to good organization and hard work, the benefit concert was a great success.
The case went poorly thanks to the lawyer's incompetence.
-
thank God, (used as an interjection to express relief, thankfulness, etc.) Also thank goodness, thank heaven
-
have oneself to thank, to be personally to blame; have the responsibility.
The citizens have only themselves to thank for corruption in government.
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thank you, (used as an interjection to express gratitude, appreciation, or acknowledgment, as for a gift, favor, service, or courtesy).
verb
-
to convey feelings of gratitude to
-
to hold responsible
he has his creditors to thank for his bankruptcy
-
used in exclamations of relief
thank goodness
thank God
-
used ironically to intensify a command, request, etc
I'll thank you to mind your own business
Other Word Forms
- rethank verb (used with object)
- thanker noun
- unthanked adjective
- unthanking adjective
Etymology
Origin of thank
First recorded before 900; Middle English (noun) “favorable thought, goodwill, gratitude,” (in singular and plural) expression of thanks; Old English thanc (in singular) expression of thanks, originally, “thought, thoughtfulness”; akin to think 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Her early dispatches included photos of a handwritten thank you note from a child, a long-haired dachshund on a walk and snow falling on a corner store.
It’s also thanks to the region’s relatively cheap gas.
From Los Angeles Times
"We'll never be able to thank the people of Birmingham enough," she said.
From BBC
"I congratulate our armed forces on their professional and decisive conduct during tonight's successful operation, and thank our French partners for providing essential support," Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever wrote on social media.
From Barron's
"This is a tremendous honor, thank you very much," Anderson said in his acceptance speech.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
