so that
Idioms-
In order that, as in I stopped so that you could catch up .
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With the result or consequence that, as in Mail the package now so that it will arrive on time .
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so ... that . In such a way or to such an extent that, as in The line was so long that I could scarcely find the end of it . All three usages date from a.d. 1000 or earlier, and the first two are sometimes put simply as so , as in I stopped so you could catch up , or Mail it now so it will arrive on time .
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 crews use mooring ropes to lash the ships as close as 11 feet from each other so that they roll in the waves together.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026
"I've got two young children, so that always makes it harder."
From BBC • May 27, 2026
During production, Brantley was on set with a microphone and a monitor so that he could see what the camera was shooting.
From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026
Moscatelli tries to humanize the capybaras so that real humans become more humane.
From Slate • May 27, 2026
She found a stick for balance, and slung her pack over one shoulder, so that it wouldn’t drag her down if she fell in.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
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.
