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there

[th air; unstressed th er]
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adverb
  1. in or at that place (opposed to here): She is there now.
  2. at that point in an action, speech, etc.: He stopped there for applause.
  3. in that matter, particular, or respect: His anger was justified there.
  4. into or to that place; thither: We went there last year.
  5. (used by way of calling attention to something or someone): There they go.
  6. in or at that place where you are: Well, hi there.
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pronoun
  1. (used to introduce a sentence or clause in which the verb comes before its subject or has no complement): There is no hope.
  2. that place: He comes from there, too.
  3. that point.
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noun
  1. that state or condition: I'll introduce you to her, but you're on your own from there on.
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adjective
  1. (used for emphasis, especially after a noun modified by a demonstrative adjective): Ask that man there.
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interjection
  1. (used to express satisfaction, relief, encouragement, approval, consolation, etc.): There! It's done.
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Idioms
  1. been there, done that, Informal. (used to say that you have experienced or are familiar with something and now think it is boring or of little worth): A big house in the suburbs? Been there, done that.
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Origin of there

before 900; Middle English (adv.), Old English thǣr thēr, cognate with Dutch daar, Old High German dār; akin to Gothic, Old Norse thar; cf. that
Can be confusedtheir there they're

Usage note

7. The verb following there is singular or plural according to the number of the subject that follows the verb: There is a message for you. There are patients in the waiting room. With compound subjects in which all the coordinate words are singular, a singular verb often occurs, although the plural may also be used: There was (or were ) a horse and a cow in the pasture. When a compound subject contains both singular and plural words, the verb usually agrees with the subject closest to the verb, although a plural verb sometimes occurs regardless, especially if the compound has more than two elements: There were staff meetings and a press conference daily. There was (or were ) a glass, two plates, two cups, and a teapot on the shelf.
11. It is nonstandard usage to place there between a demonstrative adjective and the noun it modifies: that there car. The same is true of here : these here nails. Placed after the noun, both there and here are entirely standard: that car there; these nails here.

-there

  1. a combining form meaning “wild animal, beast,” used in the formation of compound words, usually denoting extinct mammals, as adaptions of zoological taxa ending in -therium or -theria: baluchithere.
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Origin of -there

< New Latin -therium (singular), -theria (plural) < Greek thēríon, derivative of thḗr beast of prey; akin to feral1, fierce

there's

[th airz]
  1. contraction of there is: There's the hotel we were looking for.
  2. contraction of there has: There's been entirely too much said on the subject.
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Can be confusedtheirs there's

Usage note

See contraction.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

experiencedskillfullicensedefficientqualifiedcompetentgoodsolidpositivesinceresafesteadyhonestrespectablepredictablestabledependabledecisivestrongdecent
British Dictionary definitions for there

there

adverb
  1. in, at, or to that place, point, case, or respectwe never go there; I'm afraid I disagree with you there
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pronoun
  1. used as a grammatical subject with some verbs, esp be, when the true subject is an indefinite or mass noun phrase following the verb as complementthere is a girl in that office; there doesn't seem to be any water left
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adjective
  1. (postpositive) who or which is in that place or positionthat boy there did it
  2. all there (predicative) having his or her wits about him or her; of normal intelligence
  3. so there an exclamation that usually follows a declaration of refusal or defianceyou can't have any more, so there!
  4. there and then or then and there on the spot; immediately; instantly
  5. there it is that is the state of affairs
  6. there you are
    1. an expression used when handing a person something requested or desired
    2. an exclamation of triumphthere you are, I knew that would happen!
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noun
  1. that placenear there; from there
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interjection
  1. an expression of sympathy, as in consoling a child
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Word Origin

Old English thǣr; related to Old Frisian thēr, Old Saxon, Old High German thār, Old Norse, Gothic thar

usage

In correct usage, the verb should agree with the number of the subject in such constructions as there is a man waiting and there are several people waiting. However, where the subject is compound, it is common in speech to use the singular as in there's a police car and an ambulance outside
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for there

adv.

Old English þær "in or at that place," from Proto-Germanic *thær (cf. Old Saxon thar, Old Frisian ther, Middle Low German dar, Middle Dutch daer, Dutch daar, Old High German dar, German da, Gothic þar, Old Norse þar), from PIE *tar- "there" (cf. Sanskrit tar-hi "then"), from root *to- (see the) + adverbial suffix -r.

Interjectional use is recorded from 1530s. To have been there "had previous experience of some activity" is recorded from 1877.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with there

there

In addition to the idioms beginning with there

  • there but for the grace of God go I

also see:

  • all there
  • get there
  • hang in (there)
  • here and there
  • here, there, and everywhere
  • in there pitching
  • neither here nor there
  • no smoke without (where there's smoke there's) fire
  • nothing to it (there's)
  • somebody up there loves me
  • take it from here (there)
  • then and there
  • where there's a will
  • while there's life there's hope
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.