thank

[thangk] /θæŋk/

verb (used with object)

to express gratitude, appreciation, or acknowledgment to:

She thanked them for their hospitality.

thank God, (used interjectionally to express relief, thankfulness, etc.)

Also, thank goodness, thank heaven.

noun

Usually, thanks. a grateful feeling or acknowledgment of a benefit, favor, or the like, expressed by words or otherwise:

to return a borrowed book with thanks.

interjection

thanks, (used as an informal expression of gratitude, appreciation, or acknowledgment).

Idioms

have oneself to thank, to be personally to blame; have the responsibility:

The citizens have only themselves to thank for corruption in government.

thanks to, because of; owing to:

Thanks to good organization and hard work, the benefit concert was a great success.

thank you, (used interjectionally to express gratitude, appreciation, or acknowledgment, as for a gift, favor, service, or courtesy).

Origin

before 900; (noun) Middle English: favorable thought, goodwill, gratitude, (in singular and plural) expression of thanks; Old English thanc (in singular) expression of thanks, orig., thought, thoughtfulness; (v.) Middle English thanken, Old English thancian (cognate with Dutch, German danken); akin to think¹

Related forms

thanker, noun

rethank, verb (used with object)

unthanked, adjective

unthanking, adjective

Examples from the web for thank

She struggled to find words but managed to express her sympathy for the family and thank me for my service.
thank you for your diligence for the preservation of one of the last large feline species.
thank you so much for bringing us the wonder of our planet.
thank you for reminding me of a time more pristine and void of the woes of the world.
thank you for an informative and interesting article.
thank you for the educational component of our trip.
Yes, you should thank them for the interview and ideally mention what you particularly enjoyed.
thank you all for your replies and the thought you put into them.
thank you all for bearing with me here, but it's indeed a long, uphill struggle to get across a breakthrough concept.
thank you for your reply and concern regarding the role of fertilizer run-off threatening ocean life.

British Dictionary definitions for thank

thank

/θæŋk/

verb (transitive)

to convey feelings of gratitude to

to hold responsible: he has his creditors to thank for his bankruptcy

used in exclamations of relief: thank goodness, thank God

I'll thank you to, used ironically to intensify a command, request, etc: I'll thank you to mind your own business

Word Origin

Old English thancian; related to Old Frisian thankia, Old Norse thakka, Old Saxon, Old High German thancōn

Word Origin and History for thank

Old English þancian "to give thanks," from Proto-Germanic *thankojan (cf. Old Saxon thancon, Old Norse þakka, Danish takke, Old Frisian thankia, Middle Dutch, German danken "to thank"), from *thankoz "thought, gratitude," from PIE root *tong- "to think, feel." For sense evolution, cf. related Old English noun þanc, þonc, originally "thought," but by c.1000 "good thoughts, gratitude." The whole group is from the same root as think (q.v.). In ironical use, "to blame," from 1550s. To thank (someone) for nothing is recorded from 1703. Related: Thanked; thanking.

Idioms and Phrases with thank

thank

also see:

give thanks for small blessings