Meaning & use
thank
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To express gratitude to someone for something they have done or given.
Grammar: Takes an object: thank someone. Often followed by 'for' to give the reason.
Patterns
- thank someone
- thank someone for something
- thank someone for doing something
I thanked her for the lovely gift.
He thanked the audience for their warm welcome.
She thanked me for helping with the project.
verbtransitive
Used in the phrase 'thank you' to politely express gratitude.
Grammar: Often in fixed phrases like 'thank you' or 'thanks'.
Patterns
- thank you
- thank you for something
Thank you for your help.
She said thank you and left.
Word forms
| third person singular | thanks |
|---|---|
| past tense | thanked |
| past participle | thanked |
| -ing form | thanking |
Common combinations
- thank someone for something
- I thanked him for his advice.
- thank you
- Thank you for coming.
- thank someone profusely
- She thanked us profusely for our support.
- thank someone kindly
- He thanked her kindly for the offer.
Synonyms and how they differ
- appreciate
- to be grateful for something; often used without naming the person, as in 'I appreciate your help'.
- acknowledge
- to show that you have noticed or received something; less personal than thank.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: thank or think?
thank vs think
to have an opinion or idea; 'thank' is about gratitude, while 'think' is about mental activity.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
The verb 'thank' takes a direct object (the person) and is followed by 'for' to give the reason. So 'thanked her for the gift' is correct.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “thank”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.