: a polite expression of one's gratitude

Examples of thank-you in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Contributors will be invited to a thank-you gala planned for a future date. Sam Flemming, AJC.com, 17 June 2026 Just ahead of the Juneteenth public opening of the Obama Presidential Center, former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama gathered nearly 500 supporters and contributors to the campus for a thank-you celebration on Tuesday. Chicago Tribune, 17 June 2026 During the dinner that followed, out in the theatre’s sparkling lobby, Hamrick made a thank-you speech from the second-ring balcony, Eva Perón style. Bob Morris, New Yorker, 15 June 2026 This was a new kind of thank-you. ABC News, 8 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for thank-you

Word History

Etymology

from the phrase thank you used in expressing gratitude

First Known Use

1792, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of thank-you was in 1792

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Thank-you.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thank-you. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.

Kids Definition

thank-you

noun
ˈthaŋ-ˌkyü
: a polite expression of one's gratitude
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