this

play

pronoun \ ˈt͟his , t͟həs \

Definition of this

plural these play \ˈt͟hēz\

1 a (1) :the person, thing, or idea that is present or near in place, time, or thought or that has just been mentioned

these are my hands

(2) :what is stated in the following phrase, clause, or discourse

I can only say this: it wasn't here yesterday

b :this time or place

expected to return before this

2 a :the one nearer or more immediately under observation or discussion

this is iron and that is tin

b :the one more recently referred to

See this defined for English-language learners

See this defined for kids

Examples of this in a Sentence

This is my favorite T-shirt.
Anything would be better than this.
“What's this right here?” “It's a very rare gold coin.”
Would you take a look at this, please?
All of this is mine.
This is the most fun I've had in years!
“It will be difficult.” “This is true.”
What is the meaning of this?
This is silver and that is gold.
This is my jacket and that's yours.

Origin and Etymology of this

Middle English, pronoun & adjective, from Old English thes (masculine), this (neuter); akin to Old High German dese this, Old English thæt that

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First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

this

adjective

Definition of this

plural these

1 a :being the person, thing, or idea that is present or near in place, time, or thought or that has just been mentioned

this book is mine

early this morning

b :constituting the immediately following part of the present discourse

c :constituting the immediate past or future

friends all these years

d :being one not previously mentioned —used especially in narrative to give a sense of immediacy or vividness

then this guy runs in

had this urge to go shopping

2 :being the nearer at hand or more immediately under observation or discussion

this car or that one

See this defined for English-language learners

Examples of this in a Sentence

some of the best restaurants are on this side of town

First Known Use of this

before 12th century

this Synonyms

Synonyms

closer, hither, nigher, near

Antonyms

far, farther, further, opposite, other, that

Related Words

fore, forward, front, inside

Near Antonyms

distant, remote, remoter; back, outside

this

play

adverb \ ˈt͟his \

Definition of this

:to the degree or extent indicated by something in the immediate context or situation

didn't expect to wait this long

See this defined for English-language learners

Examples of this in a Sentence

We've waited this long for the pizza, we might as well stay until it's ready.
I need a nail about this long.

Recent Examples of this from the Web

And this particular asteroid won’t come this close again until 2500, NASA says.

— michael mcgough, sacbee, "Biggest near-Earth asteroid recorded by NASA will make a pass in September," 18 Aug. 2017
Fields’s father reportedly died before his birth in a car accident, but scholars say this alone doesn’t predispose someone to radicalization and extremism.

— julia ioffe, The Atlantic, "The Road to Radicalism in Charlottesville," 16 Aug. 2017
No issue illustrates this better than climate change.

— gary thompson, Philly.com, "Al Gore talks about unfriending Trump and the state of his green crusade in 'An Inconvenient Sequel'," 27 July 2017
Ill-equipped to handle this sudden and intense burst of stardom (what teenager would be?), Young never capitalized on his fame.

— jon wertheim, SI.com, "Sea of Dreams: How William Wrigley Jr. brought the Wrigley Ocean Marathon to life," 23 June 2017
This sudden, yet wise, decision is to simply see what else is out there in life.

— the lonnquist notes, by kevin lonnquist, star-telegram.com, "First impulsive act in Trinity girls hoops coach’s 41 years was to retire," 29 May 2017
Gigabyte doesn’t push this all the way toward a hard-core gaming laptop.

— gieson cacho, The Mercury News, "Preview: Gigabyte’s Aero 15 has business looks with gaming power," 3 May 2017
And try to turn this around on them as well, say, the only people who are, in fact, making America sick again are those of you who are helping us to fix the problem.

— WSJ, "Capitol Hill Showdown," 9 Jan. 2017
Helped by falling oil prices, airlines are reporting record profits, but for many passengers this sudden bonanza has meant little more than extra bags of free peanuts and pretzels.

— jad mouawad, New York Times, "Airlines Reap Record Profits, and Passengers Get Peanuts," 6 Feb. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'this.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of this

15th century

THIS Defined for English Language Learners

this

play

pronoun

Definition of this for English Language Learners

: the person, thing, or idea that is present or near in place, time, or thought or that has just been mentioned
: the thing that is closest to you or that is being shown to you
: the present time

this

adjective

Definition of this for English Language Learners

—used to indicate the person, thing, or idea that is present or near in place, time, or thought or that has just been mentioned
—used to indicate the thing that is closest to you or that is being shown to you
—used to indicate the present period of time or a period of time that is near the present time

this

play

adverb

Definition of this for English Language Learners

: to the degree or extent that is suggested in the present situation
: to the degree or extent indicated by a gesture

THIS Defined for Kids

this

play

pronoun \ ˈt͟his \

Definition of this for Students

plural these \ˈt͟hēz\

1 :the one nearer

I believe this is your book and that is mine.

2 :the person, thing, or idea that is present or near in place, time, or thought or that has just been mentioned

This is where it happened.

This is your last chance.

this

adjective

Definition of this for Students

plural these

1 :being the one present, near in place, time, or thought or that has just been mentioned

this morning

We've been friends all these years.

2 :being the one nearer

Are you reading this book or that one?

this

play

adverb \ ˈt͟his \

Definition of this for Students

1 :to the degree suggested by something in the present situation

I didn't expect to wait this long.

2 :to the extent shown (as with the hands)

I need a nail this long.

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this Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

this

Definition of this

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Definition of this for English Language Learners

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