thank
Americanverb (used with object)
-
thanks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
thanked,
past participle, past
-
thanking
present participle
noun
interjection
idioms
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no thanks to, (used to express annoyance) not owing to.
I caught my flight after all, no thanks to you.
-
thanks to, (used to express gratitude or blame) because of; owing to.
Thanks to good organization and hard work, the benefit concert was a great success.
The case went poorly thanks to the lawyer's incompetence.
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thank God, (used as an interjection to express relief, thankfulness, etc.) Also thank goodness, thank heaven
-
have oneself to thank, to be personally to blame; have the responsibility.
The citizens have only themselves to thank for corruption in government.
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thank you, (used as an interjection to express gratitude, appreciation, or acknowledgment, as for a gift, favor, service, or courtesy).
verb
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to convey feelings of gratitude to
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to hold responsible
he has his creditors to thank for his bankruptcy
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used in exclamations of relief
thank goodness
thank God
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used ironically to intensify a command, request, etc
I'll thank you to mind your own business
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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thanksimple
-
thankssimple
-
have thankedperfect
-
has thankedperfect
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am thankingprogressive
-
are thankingprogressive
-
is thankingprogressive
-
have been thankingperfect progressive
-
has been thankingperfect progressive
Past
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thankedsimple
-
had thankedperfect
-
was thankingprogressive
-
were thankingprogressive
-
had been thankingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of thank
First recorded before 900; Middle English (noun) “favorable thought, goodwill, gratitude,” (in singular and plural) expression of thanks; Old English thanc (in singular) expression of thanks, originally, “thought, thoughtfulness”; akin to think 1
Explanation
When you thank someone, you tell them how grateful or appreciative you are. You'll definitely thank your friends if they get together and throw you a fabulous surprise party for your birthday. If you appreciate something, like friendly, quick service at a restaurant or a stranger's generosity, you'll want to say, "Thanks!" Saying "thanks" or "thank you" is just one way to thank someone: you can also write a grateful note, leave a tip, or bake them cupcakes. People sometimes say, "Thank goodness!" when they're relieved that some disaster was averted.
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.
See Examples For:
She added that she and her husband Harry "cannot thank the team enough for the care, compassion and reassurance".
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
"We especially want to thank our parent company Paramount -- a Skydance Capitulation," the account wrote.
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026
Counterintuitively, we have China to thank for it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
First, Mr. President, thank you so much for having us.
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
“I want to thank you properly tomorrow,” I started.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
The Breeders’ catalog is full of singalong possibilities thanks to their fondness for lyrics that aren’t words.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
In Yasser's saffron shop, the precious spice arrives by air from Mashhad, in northeastern Iran, thanks to the resumption of air links after a brief interruption.
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
Take my reaction to the colleague who told me we’d have to change the timeline on a joint project, thanks to a surprise in her schedule.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
Not only was Rybakina able to play, but she cruised through her opening four matches thanks to a huge service game that rarely allowed opponents to get into points.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Something soft fell into my lap—my uniform jacket—and I looked up at Professor Brown and smiled my thanks as I shrugged it on over goose-bump-riddled shoulders.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
They thanked me for being there, and said they wished more Albanian journalists would come and talk to them.
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
Fox thanked her for her service and wished her well in her “next chapter.”
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2026
She thanked Steve for being the family's "guardian angel" and signed off her message saying she loved him "with my whole heart".
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
The City Council member thanked everyone for helping her “little campaign” but seemed resigned to defeat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
The boys thanked Mr. Mack for his help and set off to find Jason.
From "The Missing Mitt (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #2)" by Franklin W. Dixon
But scores of comments have been left on the video thanking Cyrus for the "perfect tribute".
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
Xavier Becerra, the Democratic candidate for California governor spoke briefly, thanking union members for their daily labors and campaign support.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
“Like, I’m not going to be thanking Capital One on my wedding day.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
We need to relax in the face of the market’s volatility — instead thanking the stock market for how well it has treated us.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026
But the rest of me is like, No way I’m ever thanking him.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
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.
