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

After winning for The Beast in Me, Rhys returned to stage for his second award and thanked Katie Dippold, the creator of Widow’s Bay. — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026

Standing outside the courthouse, Chow’s mother Medina Chow, thanked everyone for supporting the activists. — Jennifer Jett, NBC news, 11 Sep. 2026

During her history lesson disguised as a welcome, Aunty Joy thanked the NFL and both participating teams. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 Sep. 2026

The network did not provide a reason for the decision, describing it as a business matter and thanking her for her work. — Sameen Chaudhry, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English thancian; akin to Old English thanc gratitude — more at thanks entry 1

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

Rhymes for thank

• banc
• bank
• blank
• clank
• crank
• dank
• drank
• flank
• franc
• hank
• lank
• plank

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