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.
“Literally on the eve of trial, he filed for bankruptcy, thereby pausing the lawsuit,” Wright wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Further, Mr. Stier’s suggestion that China is purchasing significant quantities of American sulfur and thereby threatening supplies for U.S. farmers is not supported by the trade data.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 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
It thereby paved the way for her to assume as president should Ortega, who is believed to be in frail health, be declared "permanently absent".
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
The long answer was that there were huge sums of money to be made, if you could somehow get them re-rated as triple-A, thereby lowering their perceived risk, however dishonestly and artificially.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
