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

The mayor thanked officers from Galatone and nearby Nardò and said the incident reflected how closely the community works with law enforcement. —Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 11 Dec. 2025

Much like Goldilocks – an IP that Disney does not own, thank you very much – OpenAI is just right for the House of Mouse. —Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 11 Dec. 2025

After he was pulled from the edge, the man thanked the first responders. —Aaron Parseghian, CBS News, 11 Dec. 2025

The police department would like to thank all of the local, state and federal agencies who provided support today to help keep the campus and Frankfort community safe. —Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025

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

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