Meaning of thing in English

Table of contents
  1. Pronunciation
  2. Noun
    1. Etymology
    2. Definitions

  1. Pronunciation

    /θɪŋ/

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  1. Noun

    thing

    Etymology

    Old English, of Germanic origin; related to German Ding. Early senses included ‘meeting’ and ‘matter, concern’ as well as ‘inanimate object’

    Definitions

    1. a special situation

    Examples

    • « this thing has got to end »
    • « it is a remarkable thing »
  2. 2. an action

    Examples

    • « how could you do such a thing? »
  3. 3. an artifact

    Examples

    • « how does this thing work? »
  4. 4. an event

    Examples

    • « a funny thing happened on the way to the... »
  5. 5. a statement regarded as an object

    Examples

    • « to say the same thing in other terms »
    • « how can you say such a thing? »
  6. 6. any attribute or quality considered as having its own existence

    Examples

    • « the thing I like about her is ... »
  7. 7. a special abstraction

    Examples

    • « a thing of the spirit »
    • « things of the heart »
  8. 8. a vaguely specified concern

    Examples

    • « several matters to attend to »
    • « it is none of your affair »
    • « things are going well »
  9. 9. an entity that is not named specifically

    Examples

    • « I couldn't tell what the thing was »
  10. 10. a special objective

    Examples

    • « the thing is to stay in bounds »
  11. 11. a persistent illogical feeling of desire or aversion

    Examples

    • « he has a thing about seafood »
    • « she has a thing about him »
  12. 12. a separate and self-contained entity

Famous quotes

  • « My favorite thing is to be alone in a room with a blank paper in front of me and the time to fill it. »
    Dirk Benedict
  • « 90%, 100% are going there to hear the singing. The story is another thing. Nobody's interested in the story. Happiness is happiness. »
    Cab Calloway
  • « I had a great drama teacher, and he sort of made out drama school as this incredibly difficult thing to get into: 6,000 people apply every year, and some of the schools only have 12 places. It's a phenomenally difficult thing to get into. And that excited me - I wanted that challenge. »
    Jeremy Irvine
  • « But let me tell you, this gender thing is history. You're looking at a guy who sat down with Margaret Thatcher across the table and talked about serious issues. »
    George H. W. Bush
  • « When first starting to work with someone you try to get them in the same mindset that you were in when you were successful, and I realized the best thing you can ever do is realize that they are not you. They have a different persona and mindset, and you have to figure out what works best within your communication with that athlete. »
    Dan O'Brien

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