thing
22 ENTRIES FOUND:
- thing (noun)
- chance (noun)
- consider (verb)
- day (noun)
- equal (adjective)
- fine (adjective)
- first (adjective)
- hear (verb)
- just (adverb)
- know (verb)
- last (adjective)
- package (noun)
- push (verb)
- real (adjective)
- same (adjective)
- scheme (noun)
- see (verb)
- slice (verb)
- sure (adjective)
- swim (noun)
- two (noun)
- work (verb)
plural
things
plural
things
Britannica Dictionary definition of THING
1
[count]
a
:
an object whose name is not known or stated
-
What is that thing on the floor?
-
That thing is loud.
-
He is good at making things out of clay.
b
:
an object, animal, quality, etc., of a specified kind
-
My doctor told me to avoid fatty things like donuts and potato chips.
-
We must respect all living things.
-
She loves all things chocolate. [=she loves anything made out of chocolate]
-
Her voice is a thing of great beauty. [=her voice is very beautiful]
-
The disease is said to be a thing of the past. [=the disease no longer exists]
-
The drawer has pens, paper clips, and things (like that).
c
:
a particular event, occurrence, or situation
-
Birth is a miraculous thing.
-
It was the worst thing that could have happened.
-
That sunset was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.
-
Let's just forget about the whole thing and move on.
-
The one thing I hate most is being lied to.
-
It's a good thing (that) no one was injured.
-
Becoming friends with your boss is not a bad thing. = Becoming friends with your boss is no bad thing. [=becoming friends with your boss could have good results]
2
things
[plural]
:
objects that belong to a person
:
personal possessions or belongings
-
Are all your things packed?
-
I need a place to store my things.
-
The children's things are always lying around on the floor.
-
When she realized she was late for work, she quickly put on her things [=she put on her clothes, shoes, etc.] and left.
3
things
[plural]
:
objects that are used for a particular activity
-
Put the cleaning things away when you are done.
-
She got out the cooking things to bake some cookies.
4
[count]
:
an action that is done, that will be done, or that needs to be done
— sometimes used to say that one action is more serious, difficult, or important than another.
-
I have many things to do today. = I have lots of things that need to get done today.
-
There are a few things we still have to deal with.
-
There is actually one thing you can do to help.
-
Let's get this thing over with quickly.
-
That was a mean/cruel/kind/generous/thoughtful thing to do.
-
They expect great things from her. [=they expect her to be very successful]
-
The boy did the right thing and gave back the toy he took.
-
It's no easy thing [=it's not easy] to raise three children by yourself.
-
Cathy and I hit it off on our first date. One thing led to another, and pretty soon we were engaged.
-
It is one thing to say you're sorry but (it is) another (thing) to actually mean it.
-
Planning a project is one thing; doing it is another.
5
[count]
a
:
an activity
-
What things do you like to do in your spare time?
-
I like hiking, biking—that sort of thing.
-
The students are allowed to do their own thing. [=do the activities that they want to do]
-
Just do your thing [=do what you usually do] and pretend I'm not here.
b
informal
:
an activity that is done by a particular group of people
-
They spent the evening doing guy things. [=doing the kind of things that guys/men tend to like doing]
-
You wouldn't understand, Dad. It's a girl thing.
c
US, informal
:
an activity and everything that is related to it
— usually singular
-
He tried the college thing [=he tried going to college] but dropped out after the first semester.
-
She's done with the whole rebellious teenager thing. [=she is no longer a rebellious teenager]
d
informal
:
an activity that someone enjoys or does well
— usually singular
-
Ballroom dancing is his thing, not mine.
-
It's not really my (kind of) thing.
6
things
[plural]
:
the conditions that exist at a particular time and in a particular place
-
Things are improving. [=the situation is improving]
-
How are things with the new baby?
-
You're just making things more difficult for yourself.
-
As things stand now [=in the current situation], we can't afford a new car.
-
An apology would not change things between us.
-
All things considered [=overall; when you think about everything that happened], the party went very well.
7
[count]
:
a fact or piece of information about something or someone
-
He checks every little thing. [=detail]
-
There are a lot of things you don't know about us.
-
The thing I don't understand is why the car costs so much.
-
When buying a car, price and performance are important things to consider.
-
There is one more thing I'd like to ask you.
-
Several things were discussed at the meeting.
-
I'll give you a couple of days to think things over. [=to think about the situation and make a decision]
-
We are always arguing, but the (funny) thing is, I think I love him.
-
The thing is that [=it is important to understand that] you can never predict who will win.
-
I make excellent chili. The thing is to use the right peppers. [=to make excellent chili, you need to use the right peppers]
-
The thing with/about him [=an important characteristic to know about him] is that he is not reliable.
8
[count]
:
a thought, idea, or opinion
-
He just says the first thing that pops into his mind.
-
Don't say things you might regret later.
-
That was a terrible thing to say.
-
He had some interesting things to suggest.
-
She always knows the right thing to say.
9
[singular]
:
a reason for something
-
I can't stand being around him. For one thing, he smokes. For another, he's rude.
-
OK, here's the thing: I don't have enough money to go to college.
-
I'm sorry I didn't call you. The thing is, I've been really busy with work and school.
-
The thing is that I haven't had time to call you.
10
[singular]
a
:
a goal or purpose
-
The thing is to get well, and then you can think about playing again.
b
:
a way of reaching or achieving a goal
-
There is only one thing left for us to do: fight back!
-
(Brit) There's only one thing for it: we must fight.
11
[count]
informal
— used for a person, animal, or object that causes strong feelings of affection or dislike in you
-
You poor thing, you must be freezing.
-
She's a pretty little thing, isn't she!
-
Get that dirty thing out of my house!
12
[count]
informal
:
a strong feeling of liking or disliking something or someone
— usually singular
— used with have
-
She has a thing about snakes. [=she's afraid of snakes]
-
He has always had this thing with flying.
-
My teacher had this/a thing against me. [=my teacher disliked me for some unknown reason]
-
He has a thing for [=he likes] women with red hair.
13
the thing
a
:
the item that is the most fashionable or popular
-
Long skirts are the thing to wear this season.
-
It's the newest/latest thing in fashion.
b
:
the fashionable or proper way of behaving, talking, or dressing
-
It's the thing this year to buy products made from recycled materials.
-
Wearing athletic shoes with a suit is not quite the thing.
all/other things being equal
formal
— used to say what should happen or be true if two situations, products, etc., are different in a specified way but not in other ways
-
All things being equal, a person with a PhD should be getting a higher salary than someone with only a Master's degree.
all things to all people/men
:
a person or thing that makes all people happy by giving them what they want or need
-
It was clear that the senator was trying to be all things to all people in her campaign.
-
The museum is all things to all people, young and old.
amount to the same thing
◊ If two or more things amount to the same thing, there is very little difference between them.
-
“Lying and cheating amount to the same thing,” she said.
a thing
:
anything
— used in negative statements
-
I can't see a thing [=I can see nothing] without my glasses on.
-
The guests will be here soon, and I don't have a thing (that is appropriate) to wear.
-
Don't worry about a thing. I'll take care of everything.
-
I can't do a thing to stop them!
-
I got there early so I wouldn't miss a thing.
-
The police couldn't get a thing out of him.
-
She refused to tell me a thing about it.
-
I haven't heard a thing from him since graduation.
-
We haven't had a thing to eat all day.
-
Forget what he said—it doesn't mean a thing. [=it has no meaning or importance; it's not true]
-
None of this will mean a thing if we lose.
-
She doesn't look a thing like [=anything like] her older sister.
-
His new album doesn't sound a thing like his last one. [=his new album sounds nothing like his old one]
a thing or two
informal
:
some useful information
-
I know a thing or two about cars.
-
When it comes to cooking, she could teach you a thing or two.
at the center of things
be hearing things
chance would be a fine thing
first thing
first things first
have another thing coming
informal
— used to say that someone is wrong or mistaken
-
If he thinks he can fool me, he has another thing coming.
just the thing
:
the thing that is most likely to be helpful
-
Chicken soup is just the thing for a cold.
-
I know just the thing to cheer you up—ice cream!
-
He always does/says just the right thing to make me feel better.
last thing
make a big thing
informal
◊ If you make a big thing (out) of (something) or make a big thing about (something), you act as if something is very important or serious when it is not.
-
It was a minor error, but she made a big thing out of it.
-
Don't make such a big thing about missing the bus: there'll be another one along in a minute.
no such thing
1
— used to say that a particular person, object, etc., does not really exist
— often + as
-
A perfect person? There's no such thing.
-
There is no such thing as a unicorn.
-
There is no such thing as bad publicity. All publicity is good.
2
— used to say that you did not say or do something that someone believes or says you did
-
“Why did you invite her?” “I did no such thing. She just showed up.”
-
“He said that you're not going with us.” “I said no such thing.”
of all things
— used to emphasize that the thing you are referring to is the thing you would least expect
-
The coach is making the entire football team take, of all things, ballet classes.
one of those things
informal
— used to refer to a bad or unfortunate experience that happened and to say that such experiences happen to everyone
-
I missed the train and had to take a later one. It was just one of those things, I guess.
one thing after another
— used to complain about the large number of bad or unfortunate events that happen to someone
-
It's one thing after another with him. Now he's in jail for drunk driving.
-
First I locked my keys in the car, and then I spilled coffee all over myself. It was just one thing after another today!
push things
see things
sure thing
the real thing
:
something that is genuine and not a copy or imitation
:
something that is truly valuable or important
-
The diamond turned out to be the real thing.
-
a substitute for the real thing
-
You've done very well in your training. Let's just hope you're ready for the real thing.
(what) with one thing and another
informal
— used to say that you have been very busy doing or dealing with many things
-
What with one thing and another, I have very little free time.
