thereby
Americanadverb
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by that; by means of that.
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in that connection or relation.
Thereby hangs a tale.
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by or near that place.
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Scot. about that number, quantity, or degree.
adverb
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by that means; because of that
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archaic by or near that place; thereabouts
Etymology
Origin of thereby
before 900; Middle English therby, Old English thǣrbī. See there, by
Explanation
The adverb thereby shows cause and effect: "She forgot to tie her shoes, thereby tripping and falling down the stairs." Use thereby to connect two events: because of A, B happened: "Matt walked around with the frying pan on his head, thereby causing him to walk into a wall." Thereby is used in the infamous saying, written by Shakespeare: "And thereby hangs a tale" — a humorous way to let your listeners know they are about to hear an extremely long explanation as to why something happened.
Vocabulary lists containing thereby
Beowulf vocabulary
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5.7: Consequences of Industrialization (Sources 1–7)
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Moko Magic: Carnival Chaos
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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.
“The primary mechanism by which the war in Iran has contributed to inflation, and thereby higher interest rates, is through the price of oil, which has jumped this week,” Berner said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
Without soil moisture to evaporate, solar energy goes entirely into baking the ground, thereby amplifying temperatures.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
It severely curtailed the ability of a president to quickly remove Federal Reserve officials, and thereby exert its influence over monetary policy, and reinforced the deference due to the independence of the central bank.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
H&M has been pressuring its buying system to ensure it doesn’t hold too much stock and thereby avoid discounting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
Some chess players felt that it was an insult to proclaim Fischer the greatest American player at seventeen, and thereby diminish the reputation of Reshevsky at fifty.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
