Synonyms

the thing

Idioms

Also, the in thing. Something in style or vogue, the latest trend. For example, Wearing oversized clothes is the thing these days, or Vans and sports utility vehicles have been the in thing for some time now. The first term dates from the mid-1700s; the second, which uses in in the sense of “popular,” dates from the mid-1900s. Also see the latest.

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.

That’s just the thing: I’m not sure, and I think it’s become difficult for many queer people to understand.

From Salon • Jun. 18, 2026

And the thing that’s magical about storytelling is the more specific you make your point of view, the more I connect with it.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2026

"They have extraordinarily good engineers...so they will solve the problem, the thing is the schedule," he added.

From Barron's • Jun. 12, 2026

“I think the thing that’s getting lost is I think they’ve dramatically advanced their capability when it comes to building a frontier market,” said Gerstner.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 12, 2026

So Jonah and I made up a game where you ask a person three questions in a row: super easy, then slightly more personal, and then the thing you really want to know.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023