there

[th air; unstressed th er] /ðɛər; unstressed ðər/

Word Origin

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adverb

in or at that place (opposed to here):

She is there now.

at that point in an action, speech, etc.:

He stopped there for applause.

in that matter, particular, or respect:

His anger was justified there.

into or to that place; thither:

We went there last year.

(used by way of calling attention to something or someone):

There they go.

in or at that place where you are:

Well, hi there.

pronoun

(used to introduce a sentence or clause in which the verb comes before its subject or has no complement):

There is no hope.

that place:

He comes from there, too.

that point.

noun

10.

that state or condition:

I'll introduce you to her, but you're on your own from there on.

adjective

11.

(used for emphasis, especially after a noun modified by a demonstrative adjective):

Ask that man there.

interjection

12.

(used to express satisfaction, relief, encouragement, approval, consolation, etc.):

There! It's done.

Idioms

13.

been there, done that, Informal. (used to say that you have experienced or are familiar with something and now think it is boring or of little worth):

A big house in the suburbs? Been there, done that.

Origin of there

Middle English

Old English

900

before 900; Middle English (adv.), Old English thǣr thēr, cognate with Dutch daar, Old High German dār; akin to Gothic, Old Norse thar; cf. that

Can be confused

their, there, they're (see usage note at the current entry)

Usage note

7. The verb following there is singular or plural according to the number of the subject that follows the verb: There is a message for you. There are patients in the waiting room. With compound subjects in which all the coordinate words are singular, a singular verb often occurs, although the plural may also be used: There was (or were) a horse and a cow in the pasture. When a compound subject contains both singular and plural words, the verb usually agrees with the subject closest to the verb, although a plural verb sometimes occurs regardless, especially if the compound has more than two elements: There were staff meetings and a press conference daily. There was (or were) a glass, two plates, two cups, and a teapot on the shelf.
11. It is nonstandard usage to place there between a demonstrative adjective and the noun it modifies: that there car. The same is true of here: these here nails. Placed after the noun, both there and here are entirely standard: that car there; these nails here.

-there

a combining form meaning “wild animal, beast,” used in the formation of compound words, usually denoting extinct mammals, as adaptions of zoological taxa ending in -therium or -theria: baluchithere.

Origin

< New Latin -therium (singular), -theria (plural) < Greek thēríon, derivative of thḗr beast of prey; akin to feral¹, fierce

there's

[th airz] /ðɛərz/

contraction of there is:

There's the hotel we were looking for.

contraction of there has: There's been entirely too much said on the subject.

Can be confused

theirs, there's.

Usage note

See contraction.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2016.
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British Dictionary definitions for there

there

/ðɛə/

adverb

in, at, or to that place, point, case, or respect: we never go there, I'm afraid I disagree with you there

pronoun

used as a grammatical subject with some verbs, esp be, when the true subject is an indefinite or mass noun phrase following the verb as complement: there is a girl in that office, there doesn't seem to be any water left

adjective

(postpositive) who or which is in that place or position: that boy there did it

(predicative) all there, having his or her wits about him or her; of normal intelligence

so there, an exclamation that usually follows a declaration of refusal or defiance: you can't have any more, so there!

there and then, then and there, on the spot; immediately; instantly

there it is, that is the state of affairs

there you are

an expression used when handing a person something requested or desired
an exclamation of triumph: there you are, I knew that would happen!

noun

that place: near there, from there

interjection

10.

an expression of sympathy, as in consoling a child

Usage note

In correct usage, the verb should agree with the number of the subject in such constructions as there is a man waiting and there are several people waiting. However, where the subject is compound, it is common in speech to use the singular as in there's a police car and an ambulance outside

Word Origin

Old English thǣr; related to Old Frisian thēr, Old Saxon, Old High German thār, Old Norse, Gothic thar

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word Origin and History for there

adv.

Old English þær "in or at that place," from Proto-Germanic *thær (cf. Old Saxon thar, Old Frisian ther, Middle Low German dar, Middle Dutch daer, Dutch daar, Old High German dar, German da, Gothic þar, Old Norse þar), from PIE *tar- "there" (cf. Sanskrit tar-hi "then"), from root *to- (see the) + adverbial suffix -r.

Interjectional use is recorded from 1530s. To have been there "had previous experience of some activity" is recorded from 1877.

Slang definitions & phrases for there

there

adj,adj phr

Very competent; very well informed; with it (1849+)

The Dictionary of American Slang, Fourth Edition by Barbara Ann Kipfer, PhD. and Robert L. Chapman, Ph.D.
Copyright (C) 2007 by HarperCollins Publishers.
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Idioms and Phrases with there

there

In addition to the idioms beginning with there

there but for the grace of God go I

also see:

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