thank

verb

ˈthaŋk 

thanked; thanking; thanks

transitive verb

1

: to express gratitude to

thanked her for the present

—used in the phrase thank you usually without a subject to politely express gratitude

thank you for your consideration

or sometimes to emphasize a preceding statement especially by implying that it is not subject to question

likes her job just fine, thank you

—used in such phrases as thank God, thank goodness usually without a subject to express gratitude or more often only the speaker's or writer's pleasure or satisfaction in something

2

: to hold responsible

had only himself to thank for his loss

thanker noun

Examples of thank in a Sentence

I want to thank everyone who helped today.

There's no need to thank me. Anyone would have done the same.

Recent Examples on the Web

Thanks to Facebook, Canales was able to thank Heather Quinn for finding it and turning it in. —Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 22 July 2024

Harris, as well as her current and former staffers, also called rank-and-file members to either thank them for their support or ask them to publicly get behind her. —Leigh Ann Caldwell, Washington Post, 22 July 2024

In the minutes after Biden officially dropped out of the race on Sunday, Griffin took to X (formerly Twitter) to thank the president for doing so. —Zack Sharf, Variety, 22 July 2024

The day before, the fitness guru had celebrated his 76th birthday and thanked fans for their birthday wishes in a post shared across his socials. —Shania Russell, EW.com, 21 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English thancian; akin to Old English thanc gratitude — more at thanks

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing thank

• have (someone or something) to thank for (something)
• thank God/goodness/heaven(s)/the Lord
• thank one's lucky stars
• thank-you
• thank-you-ma'am

Kids Definition

thank

verb

ˈthaŋk 

1

: to express gratitude to

thanked her for the present

2

: to hold responsible

had only myself to thank for my loss