thereby
Americanadverb
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by that; by means of that.
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in that connection or relation.
Thereby hangs a tale.
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by or near that place.
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Scot. about that number, quantity, or degree.
adverb
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by that means; because of that
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archaic by or near that place; thereabouts
Etymology
Origin of thereby
before 900; Middle English therby, Old English thǣrbī. See there, by
Explanation
The adverb thereby shows cause and effect: "She forgot to tie her shoes, thereby tripping and falling down the stairs." Use thereby to connect two events: because of A, B happened: "Matt walked around with the frying pan on his head, thereby causing him to walk into a wall." Thereby is used in the infamous saying, written by Shakespeare: "And thereby hangs a tale" — a humorous way to let your listeners know they are about to hear an extremely long explanation as to why something happened.
Vocabulary lists containing thereby
Beowulf vocabulary
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5.7: Consequences of Industrialization (Sources 1–7)
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Moko Magic: Carnival Chaos
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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.
Cruise avoids the personal by making his work inextricable from his life, thereby asking the reader to perform a clever thought exercise: What if Tom Cruise were telling the truth?
From Salon ● Sep. 17, 2026
“Literally on the eve of trial, he filed for bankruptcy, thereby pausing the lawsuit,” Wright wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Aside from attracting the attention of several passers-by, Kulis said the use of robots was meant to show their existing capabilities and thereby, the urgency of the situation.
From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026
In a worst-case scenario, they could auction it off in a tax-foreclosure sale to recover the back taxes, thereby invalidating the life estate.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
Plant domestication may be defined as growing a plant and thereby, consciously or unconsciously, causing it to change genetically from its wild ancestor in ways making it more useful to human consumers.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
