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 Dana Taylor: Jonathan, thank you so much for joining me. USA TODAY, 28 Apr. 2024 Swift commented on the news as well, taking to social media to thank fans. Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 28 Apr. 2024 Kidman also listed off the names of all of her previous directors and thanked them individually during her acceptance speech. Kirsten Chuba, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Apr. 2024 In a tense moment midmorning, Mr. Bove worked to undermine previous testimony from Mr. Pecker that Mr. Trump had thanked him after the election for helping to derail one such account. Jonah E. Bromwich, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2024 The company said its Free Cone Day tradition began in 1979 as a way to give back to the community and thank fans for their support. Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024 During the April 13 game, Asia, Nasir and Podolak dropped the ceremonial first puck and met players on the team — and the mom had another chance to thank her hero in person for his kind act. Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 15 Apr. 2024 On Sunday, the Desperate Housewives actor shared a video thanking fans for their support, days after being eliminated from Danse Avec Les Stars, the French version of Dancing With the Stars. Shania Russell, EW.com, 15 Apr. 2024 Patel also confirmed his departure on social media, and Musk responded by thanking both executives. Edward Ludlow, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thank.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

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

Dictionary Entries Near thank

Cite this Entry

“Thank.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thank. Accessed 3 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

thank

verb
1
: to express gratitude to
thanked her for the present
2
: to hold responsible
had only myself to thank for my loss

More from Merriam-Webster on thank

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