there

¹

[ thair; unstressed ther ]

adverb

1. in or at that place ( 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.

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.

noun

1. that place:

   He comes from there, too.

2. that point, state, condition, etc.:

   I'll introduce you to her, but you're on your own from there on.

adjective

1. (used for emphasis, especially after a noun modified by a demonstrative adjective):

   Ask that man there.

interjection

1. (used to express satisfaction, relief, encouragement, approval, consolation, etc.):

   There! It's done.

-there

²

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.

there

/ ðɛə /

adverb

1. in, at, or to that place, point, case, or respect

   we never go there

   I'm afraid I disagree with you there

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 complement

   there is a girl in that office

   there doesn't seem to be any water left

adjective

1. postpositive who or which is in that place or position

   that boy there did it

2. all there
   all there predicative having his or her wits about him or her; of normal intelligence
3. so there
   so there an exclamation that usually follows a declaration of refusal or defiance

   you can't have any more, so there!

4. there and then
   there and thenthen and there on the spot; immediately; instantly
5. there it is
   there it is that is the state of affairs
6. there you are
   there you are
   1. an expression used when handing a person something requested or desired
   2. an exclamation of triumph

      there you are, I knew that would happen!

noun

1. that place

   near there

   from there

interjection

1. an expression of sympathy, as in consoling a child

Usage Note

 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.

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

Grammar Note

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of there¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English (adverb), Old English thǣr, thēr, cognate with Dutch daar, Old High German dār; akin to Gothic, Old Norse thar; that

Origin of there²

< New Latin -therium (singular), -theria (plural) < Greek thēríon, derivative of thḗr beast of prey; akin to feral ¹, fierce

Word History and Origins

Origin of there¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

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.

2. there is / are, (used to indicate the existence or occurrence of something or someone):

   There is some bark missing near the base of the tree.

   However, there are still ways to be healthy even while having a busy schedule.

More idioms and phrases containing there

• 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

Example Sentences

Is there/will there be plans to have Jamaica compete in the Winter Olympics again?

From The Daily Beast

There are just as many covetable skirts and delicate silk tap shorts as there are thorn-cupped bras and barely-there g-strings.

From The Daily Beast

She tends to go toward the Lady Gaga deconstruction, Alexander McQueen type of just out-there kind of costume.

From The Daily Beast

Last Friday morning, reams of documents filled the room-there were more than 800 binders of them packed against one wall alone.

From The Daily Beast

The there-and-back-again mission was a crucial steppingstone for the company on its path to sending a manned craft into the ether.

From The Daily Beast

The door banged shut behind him and I heard him at the foot of the stairs roaring "Ho-ho-there-ho!"

From Project Gutenberg

We are introduced successively to the Palestinian, the Assimilator, and the Neither-here-nor-there.

From Project Gutenberg

Emendations on the here-a-little-there-a-little plan, while they do no harm, do little good.

From Project Gutenberg

Swinburne dismisses him in two lines: Maximilian is a good-natured, neither here-nor-there kind of youth.

From Project Gutenberg

There-about many small coffee growers are settled, and several hundred thousand bags of the beans pass through annually.

From Project Gutenberg

There Vs. Their Vs. They're

What’s the difference between there, their, and they're?

There is commonly used to introduce sentences or to indicate where something is, as in It’s over there, next to the window. Their is the possessive form of the personal pronoun they, essentially meaning belonging to or possessed by them, as in Is that their car, or ours? They’re is a contraction of they are.

There are many instances in which they’re confused because their pronunciations are exactly the same. (See what we did there?)

There are easy ways to remember which spelling is right, and they’re actually built into each word.

When it’s used to indicate location, there functions a lot like here (even though it can mean the opposite), and the word here is right inside of it.

You can remember that their is the one that’s used to show possession (like his and her) by remembering that it includes the word heir (a person who inherits possessions).

The apostrophe in they’re indicates that it’s a combination of two words and signals that it’s the one you want to use when you mean they are.

Here’s an example of there, their, and they’re used correctly in the same sentence.

Example: It’s hard to work as a team in that environment—when they’re in there, they’re their own worst enemies.

Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between there, their, and they’re.

Quiz yourself on there vs. their vs. they're!

In what order should there, their, and they’re be used in the following sentence?

_____ shoes are over _____, right next to where _____ sitting.

A. their, there, they’re
B. there, they’re, their
C. they’re, their, there
D. their, they’re, there