Thing | Mean of thing in English Dictionary

/ˈθɪŋ/

• Noun
• an object whose name is not known or stated
1. What is that thing on the floor?
2. That thing is loud.
3. He is good at making things out of clay.
• an object, animal, quality, etc., of a specified kind
1. My doctor told me to avoid fatty things like donuts and potato chips.
2. We must respect all living things.
3. She loves all things chocolate. [=she loves anything made out of chocolate]
4. Her voice is a thing of great beauty. [=her voice is very beautiful]
5. The disease is said to be a thing of the past. [=the disease no longer exists]
6. The drawer has pens, paper clips, and things (like that).
• a particular event, occurrence, or situation
1. Birth is a miraculous thing.
2. It was the worst thing that could have happened.
3. That sunset was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.
4. Let's just forget about the whole thing and move on.
5. The one thing I hate most is being lied to.
6. It's a good thing (that) no one was injured.
7. Becoming friends with your boss is not a bad thing. = Becoming friends with your boss is no bad thing. [=becoming friends with your boss could have good results]

• objects that belong to a person
1. Are all your things packed?
2. I need a place to store my things.
3. The children's things are always lying around on the floor.
4. When she realized she was late for work, she quickly put on her things [=she put on her clothes, shoes, etc.] and left.
• objects that are used for a particular activity
1. Put the cleaning things away when you are done.
2. She got out the cooking things to bake some cookies.
• an action that is done, that will be done, or that needs to be done
1. I have many things to do today. = I have lots of things that need to get done today.
2. There are a few things we still have to deal with.
3. There is actually one thing you can do to help.
4. Let's get this thing over with quickly.
5. That was a mean/cruel/kind/generous/thoughtful thing to do.
6. They expect great things from her. [=they expect her to be very successful]
7. The boy did the right thing and gave back the toy he took.
8. It's no easy thing [=it's not easy] to raise three children by yourself.
9. Cathy and I hit it off on our first date. One thing led to another, and pretty soon we were engaged.
10. It is one thing to say you're sorry but (it is) another (thing) to actually mean it.
11. Planning a project is one thing; doing it is another.
• an activity
1. What things do you like to do in your spare time?
2. I like hiking, biking—that sort of thing.
3. The students are allowed to do their own thing. [=do the activities that they want to do]
4. Just do your thing [=do what you usually do] and pretend I'm not here.
• an activity that is done by a particular group of people
1. They spent the evening doing guy things. [=doing the kind of things that guys/men tend to like doing]
2. You wouldn't understand, Dad. It's a girl thing.
• an activity and everything that is related to it
1. He tried the college thing [=he tried going to college] but dropped out after the first semester.
2. She's done with the whole rebellious teenager thing. [=she is no longer a rebellious teenager]
• an activity that someone enjoys or does well
1. Ballroom dancing is his thing, not mine.
2. It's not really my (kind of) thing.
• the conditions that exist at a particular time and in a particular place
1. Things are improving. [=the situation is improving]
2. How are things with the new baby?
3. You're just making things more difficult for yourself.
4. As things stand now [=in the current situation], we can't afford a new car.
5. An apology would not change things between us.
6. All things considered [=overall; when you think about everything that happened], the party went very well.
• a fact or piece of information about something or someone
1. He checks every little thing. [=detail]
2. There are a lot of things you don't know about us.
3. The thing I don't understand is why the car costs so much.
4. When buying a car, price and performance are important things to consider.
5. There is one more thing I'd like to ask you.
6. Several things were discussed at the meeting.
7. I'll give you a couple of days to think things over. [=to think about the situation and make a decision]
8. We are always arguing, but the (funny) thing is, I think I love him.
9. The thing is that [=it is important to understand that] you can never predict who will win.
10. I make excellent chili. The thing is to use the right peppers. [=to make excellent chili, you need to use the right peppers]
11. The thing with/about him [=an important characteristic to know about him] is that he is not reliable.
• a thought, idea, or opinion
1. He just says the first thing that pops into his mind.
2. Don't say things you might regret later.
3. That was a terrible thing to say.
4. He had some interesting things to suggest.
5. She always knows the right thing to say.
• a reason for something
1. I can't stand being around him. For one thing, he smokes. For another, he's rude.
2. OK, here's the thing: I don't have enough money to go to college.
3. I'm sorry I didn't call you. The thing is, I've been really busy with work and school.
4. The thing is that I haven't had time to call you.
• a goal or purpose
1. The thing is to get well, and then you can think about playing again.
• a way of reaching or achieving a goal
1. There is only one thing left for us to do: fight back!
2. (Brit) There's only one thing for it: we must fight.
• a strong feeling of liking or disliking something or someone
1. She has a thing about snakes. [=she's afraid of snakes]
2. He has always had this thing with flying.
3. My teacher had this/a thing against me. [=my teacher disliked me for some unknown reason]
4. He has a thing for [=he likes] women with red hair.
• the item that is the most fashionable or popular
1. Long skirts are the thing to wear this season.
2. It's the newest/latest thing in fashion.
• the fashionable or proper way of behaving, talking, or dressing
1. It's the thing this year to buy products made from recycled materials.
2. Wearing athletic shoes with a suit is not quite the thing.
• a person or thing that makes all people happy by giving them what they want or need
1. It was clear that the senator was trying to be all things to all people in her campaign.
2. The museum is all things to all people, young and old.
• some useful information
1. I know a thing or two about cars.
2. When it comes to cooking, she could teach you a thing or two.
• the thing that is most likely to be helpful
1. Chicken soup is just the thing for a cold.
2. I know just the thing to cheer you up—ice cream!
3. He always does/says just the right thing to make me feel better.
• something that is genuine and not a copy or imitation
1. The diamond turned out to be the real thing.
2. a substitute for the real thing
3. You've done very well in your training. Let's just hope you're ready for the real thing.