thereby

adverb

there·​by t͟her-ˈbī 

ˈt͟her-ˌbī

1

: by that : by that means

thereby lost her chance to win

2

: connected with or with reference to that

… thereby hangs a tale …

—William Shakespeare

Examples of thereby in a Sentence

He signed the contract, thereby forfeiting his right to the property.

Recent Examples on the Web

That warm water can keep feeding the surface and thereby the atmosphere for months. — Sean MacAday, Sacbee.com, 27 Sep. 2026

Achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making America great again can go hand in hand and the two countries can contribute to each other's success, thereby benefiting the wider world. — Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026

But the legislation effectively caps the charitable deduction for these taxpayers at 35%, thereby limiting its value. — Kate Dore, Cfp®, Ea, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2026

However, Bobrick says that if such effects were constructed at much smaller scales, the amount of energy required could be reduced as well, thereby making the process more feasible. — Micah Hanks, Space.com, 23 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing thereby

• thereby hangs a tale

Rhymes for thereby

• abscissae
• adonai
• alibi
• alkali
• alumni
• amoebae
• amplify
• annuli
• beautify
• brachii
• butterfly
• calculi

Kids Definition

thereby

adverb

there·​by t͟ha(ə)r-ˈbī 

t͟he(ə)r-;

ˈt͟ha(ə)r-ˌbī, 

ˈt͟he(ə)r-

1

: by that : by that means

thereby lost her chance to win

2

: connected with or with reference to that

thereby hangs a tale