thank
Americanverb (used with object)
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thanks,
present (3rd person singular)
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thanked,
past participle, past
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thanking
present participle
noun
interjection
idioms
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no thanks to, (used to express annoyance) not owing to.
I caught my flight after all, no thanks to you.
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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.
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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
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to convey feelings of gratitude to
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to hold responsible
he has his creditors to thank for his bankruptcy
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used in exclamations of relief
thank goodness
thank God
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used ironically to intensify a command, request, etc
I'll thank you to mind your own business
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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thanksimple
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thankssimple
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have thankedperfect
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has thankedperfect
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am thankingprogressive
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are thankingprogressive
-
is thankingprogressive
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have been thankingperfect progressive
-
has been thankingperfect progressive
Past
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thankedsimple
-
had thankedperfect
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was thankingprogressive
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were thankingprogressive
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had been thankingperfect progressive
Future
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
Explanation
When you thank someone, you tell them how grateful or appreciative you are. You'll definitely thank your friends if they get together and throw you a fabulous surprise party for your birthday. If you appreciate something, like friendly, quick service at a restaurant or a stranger's generosity, you'll want to say, "Thanks!" Saying "thanks" or "thank you" is just one way to thank someone: you can also write a grateful note, leave a tip, or bake them cupcakes. People sometimes say, "Thank goodness!" when they're relieved that some disaster was averted.
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.
See Examples For:
Fed wants to resist making his speech “one big thank you note,” but sees it as a chance to be “grateful to the people who brought me here.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Do Viet Hung, the teenager's father, appeared in VTV's broadcast to thank internet users for their sympathy, but said the family was satisfied with the investigation's findings, and asked people to leave them alone.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
They have Tommy Edman to thank for getting home a bit earlier.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
“We hope you’ll continue radiating positivity in your community throughout the year, and thank you for loving this festival as much as we do.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
“It’s good to say thank you when someone does something nice,” Teddy tells us.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Unlike last time, when El Niño hit a market in deficit, supplies are ample today, partly thanks to confectioners shrinking chocolate bars and tweaking recipes to use less cocoa after the last price surge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Royal Bank of Canada notched record net income in the latest quarter, thanks to strong growth in its wealth management, capital markets and commercial banking operations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
The murderous entity has earned iconic status in pop culture thanks to its central role in “It,” “It: Chapter Two” and HBO’s “It: Welcome to Derry.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Adjusted earnings per share of $5.90 cleared the $3.27 consensus estimate thanks to a large paper gain on the company’s strategic investment in Anthropic.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
I had to take a moment and give thanks.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
He particularly thanked the dedicated staff at the National Zoological Garden in the capital, Pretoria, "who have been working tirelessly to incubate the seized eggs and provide specialised care to the hatchlings".
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
When it was time to toast the newlyweds, one speaker thanked Citadel CEO Ken Griffin for making it all possible.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
He also thanked his fans, family, crew and other musicians for the support and well wishes sent his way.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
Chip Roy, R-Austin, who thanked Scott for the pause, and August Pfluger, R-San Angelo, whose district includes a large swath of West Texas.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
But neither of the men thanked her, or even looked at her.
From I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 by Lauren Tarshis
For the last year, “Gracias Gustavo” garlands have adorned the city, thanking Dudamel for doing just that during his 17 seasons heading the L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
“Like, I’m not going to be thanking Capital One on my wedding day.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
We need to relax in the face of the market’s volatility — instead thanking the stock market for how well it has treated us.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026
Kelce called the wedding "the best night of my life", thanking guests who attended and calling it "a crazy night".
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
I open presents, we play another game, and parents start arriving and I’m thanking people and saying goodbye.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
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.
