thereby

adverb

there·​by t͟her-ˈbī How to pronounce thereby (audio)
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 taleWilliam Shakespeare

Examples of thereby in a Sentence

He signed the contract, thereby forfeiting his right to the property.
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.
Fortunately, Rubio has now brought USAID's residual functions directly under State Department supervision, thereby ensuring that foreign aid serves American national interests rather than those of favored NGOs or United Nations agencies. Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025 Adams broke federal and local laws in connection with the case and is thereby continuing to deny his reelection campaign $4 million in public matching funds, according to communications obtained by the Daily News. Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 30 Apr. 2025 The romantic story suggests Athletic started fielding only Basque players in 1911 after being stripped of that year’s Copa del Rey for using ineligible foreign players, thereby sticking two fingers up to their rivals (Athletic were later reinstated as champions by the Spanish football federation). Tomás Hill López-Menchero, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025 An iron horse hearkens to the railroad, and what the railroad brought to the West, which was expansion, and thereby Native people were somewhat driven back by the expansion of the railroad in the West. Lisa De Los Reyes, HollywoodReporter, 27 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for thereby

Word History

First Known Use

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of thereby was before the 12th century

Cite this Entry

“Thereby.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thereby. Accessed 12 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

thereby

adverb
there·​by t͟ha(ə)r-ˈbī How to pronounce thereby (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on thereby

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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