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

Members of Johnson's administration and the City Attorney's Office who presented the ordinance to the council's Public Works Committee expressed a sense of urgency to pass it and thereby open the permit application process to avoid a potential lawsuit. —Alison Dirr, Journal Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2024

Significant changes to states’ public-sector labor laws beginning in the 1960s, however, granted teachers’ unions the ability to collectively bargain with state and local governments, thereby providing these organizations with an opportunity to convert teachers ... —Maddie Dermon, National Review, 17 Apr. 2024

The discovery came as a shock to the scientific community, who had assumed that such a small planet would have rapidly cooled and its insides would have congealed, thereby losing any means of magnetism at the global scale. —Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Apr. 2024

In military terms, the Iranian strikes signaled its willingness to confront Israel directly rather that through the use of regional proxies like Hezbollah in Lebanon, thereby upending Israel’s assumptions about Iran’s threshold for risk. —Patrick Kingsley, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2024

Idaho then asked the Supreme Court to limit the injunction to just the two plaintiffs, thereby letting the ban take effect against all other trans youth in Idaho. —Ann Marimow, Washington Post, 15 Apr. 2024

There is good reason to support regulating autonomous vehicles on the state rather than local level, thereby avoiding a confusing patchwork of rules throughout California. —Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial Boards, The Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2024

Piperine and capsicum have prominent thermogenic properties that boost heat production, thereby enhancing fat metabolism. —Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024

On Tuesday, scientists conducted the first outdoor test in the U.S. of technology designed to brighten clouds and bounce some of the sun’s rays back into space, thereby cooling the planet, according to the Times. —Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing thereby

• thereby hangs a tale

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