thank
Americanverb (used with object)
noun
interjection
idioms
-
no thanks to, (used to express annoyance) not owing to.
I caught my flight after all, no thanks to you.
-
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.
-
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.
-
thank you, (used as an interjection to express gratitude, appreciation, or acknowledgment, as for a gift, favor, service, or courtesy).
verb
-
to convey feelings of gratitude to
-
to hold responsible
he has his creditors to thank for his bankruptcy
-
used in exclamations of relief
thank goodness
thank God
-
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
-
thanksimple
-
thankssimple
-
have thankedperfect
-
has thankedperfect
-
am thankingprogressive
-
are thankingprogressive
-
is thankingprogressive
-
have been thankingperfect progressive
-
has been thankingperfect progressive
Past
-
thankedsimple
-
had thankedperfect
-
was thankingprogressive
-
were thankingprogressive
-
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:
Well, thank God the Dodgers broke baseball’s longstanding tradition of segregation long before Roberts, who is Black and Japanese American, was born!
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Giving people a free Sunday afternoon event in Long Beach, that’s a thank you.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
I thank God that we have been slow followers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
In his first reaction to the protests, Fedorov wrote on Telegram: "I thank you for the hope."
From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026
“Well, I didn’t make the wool. You can thank the sheep for that.”
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
They did so with relatively basic means, such as drones, thanks to the proximity of the shipping lanes to shore.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Shares have struggled since the start of the war, thanks to disruptions in shipping products to Middle East customers.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
“I started to come to terms with it thanks to a very good doctor and a good therapist,” she told the North Carolina news station.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
For years, Hermès was the go-to for anyone who wanted a company that could grow sales through thick and thin, thanks to seemingly bottomless demand for the Birkin handbag.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
I patted my tummy and said, “No, thanks, Grandma, I think that’ll hold me until I get home.”
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
The Ugandan - who was wearing a Wallace tartan kilt in his country's colours - thanked those who had made the multi-sports event possible.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
On Instagram, Wilson thanked the judge and Australian legal system for a "substantial win today".
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
He’s an adviser to Cisco, whose chief executive publicly thanked McGurk for his help in landing a deal on G42’s massive Stargate project.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Sir Keir also thanked Badenoch for her kindness following the death of his brother and after an arson attack on his family home.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
The president of the club, Dr. Edward Lasker, welcomed everyone, thanked them for coming, and then began a litany of Bobby’s many accomplishments.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
“Usha and the baby are happy and healthy, and our kids are overjoyed to meet their little brother,” he added, also thanking the military doctors and staff at Walter Reed Medical Center for their care.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
"I've been spending a lot of time with my family. I'm dealing with a cancer diagnosis, and I've been getting treatment, and it's been going really well," he said, thanking his well-wishers.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
In recent days, Rodríguez has been visiting field hospitals and thanking a list of some 30 foreign nations for health aid after the disaster.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
The message concludes by thanking Tyler’s fans for their “outpouring of love and support.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
“You know, Roz, you should really be thanking me,” said Dr. Molovo, arching an eyebrow.
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
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.
