thing
1 Americannoun
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a material object without life or consciousness; an inanimate object.
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some entity, object, or creature that is not or cannot be specifically designated or precisely described.
The stick had a brass thing on it.
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anything that is or may become an object of thought.
things of the spirit.
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things, matters; affairs.
Things are going well now.
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a fact, circumstance, or state of affairs.
It is a curious thing.
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an action, deed, event, or performance.
to do great things; His death was a horrible thing.
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a particular, respect, or detail.
perfect in all things.
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an aim; objective.
The thing is to reach this line with the ball.
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an article of clothing.
I don't have a thing to wear.
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things,
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implements, utensils, or other articles for service.
I'll wash the breakfast things.
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personal possessions or belongings.
Pack your things and go!
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a task; chore.
I've got a lot of things to do today.
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a living being or creature.
His baby's a cute little thing.
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a thought or statement.
I have just one thing to say to you.
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Informal. a particular interest or talent.
Sports is not my thing.
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Informal. a peculiar attitude or feeling, either positive or negative, toward something; mental quirk.
She has a thing about cats.
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something signified or represented, as distinguished from a word, symbol, or idea representing it.
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a topic, behavior, or activity involving or limited to a specified group.
It’s a girl thing, so you wouldn’t understand.
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Informal. something that people do (often used in expressions of mild disapproval or mockery).
Since when did clapping at the end of a movie become a thing?
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Law. anything that may be the subject of a property right.
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Jazz. new thing, free jazz.
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the thing,
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something that is correct or fashionable.
That caf é is the thing now.
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that which is expedient or necessary.
The thing to do is to tell them the truth.
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idioms
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do / find one's own thing, to pursue a lifestyle that expresses one's self. Also dofind one's thing.
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not to get a thing out of,
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to be unable to obtain information or news from.
The police couldn't get a thing out of him.
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to fail to appreciate, understand, or derive aesthetic pleasure from.
My wife likes opera, but I don't get a thing out of it.
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make a good thing of, to turn (a situation, experience, etc.) to one's own profit; benefit by.
She made a good thing of her spare-time hobbies.
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see / hear things, to have hallucinations.
noun
noun
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an object, fact, affair, circumstance, or concept considered as being a separate entity
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any inanimate object
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an object or entity that cannot or need not be precisely named
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informal a person or animal regarded as the object of pity, contempt, etc
you poor thing
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an event or act
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a thought or statement
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law any object or right that may be the subject of property (as distinguished from a person)
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a device, means, or instrument
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(often plural) a possession, article of clothing, etc
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informal the normal pattern of behaviour in a particular context
not interested in the marriage thing
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informal a mental attitude, preoccupation or obsession (esp in the phrase have a thing about )
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an activity or mode of behaviour satisfying to one's personality (esp in the phrase do one's ( own ) thing )
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acceptable or normal behaviour
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the latest fashion
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to be in a profitable situation or position
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to make a fuss about; exaggerate the importance of
noun
Etymology
Origin of thing1
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English: originally, “meeting”; thing 2
Origin of thing2
First recorded in 1820–30; from Old Norse: “assembly, meeting”; cognate with thing 1, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish ting, Dutch ding, German Ding “thing,” originally, “meeting”; akin to Gothic theihs “time”
Explanation
Use the noun thing to refer to something without naming it specifically. You might describe your sister's bizarre outfit by saying, "She was wearing this puffy orange thing around her waist and a tall, feathered thing on her head." If you can't name something or don't want to for some reason, you can use the word thing instead. You can also use it to talk about an action, as in "You did the right thing when you got lost," or a quality, like "your favorite thing about parties is spending time with your friends." The phrase "do your thing," which is associated with the 1960s, was actually first used in the 1840s to mean "follow your particular predilection."
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.
“One thing we’ve consistently found is that the larger the unit, the longer the customer stays,” says Lau.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
The best thing that could be done for homebuyers and owners concerned about higher borrowing costs was providing stability by pursuing "credible policies that deliver sensibly... over time" he suggested.
From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026
A little bit of inflation isn’t necessarily a bad thing for stocks, provided corporate profits can keep climbing, Reid said.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026
But cybersecurity stocks are also showing signs of life as investors re-evaluate whether artificial intelligence start-up Anthropic’s supposedly super-capable Mythos AI is a good or bad thing for the sector.
From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026
But she offers to make it a family thing.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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.
