there
/ðɛː
/ /ðə /adverb
1In, at, or to that place or position: we went to Paris and stayed there ten days [with infinitive]: at the end of the day we are there to make money [after preposition]: I’m not going in there—it’s freezing...
- On Tuesday the post office said that our application would be there by ten at the latest the next morning.
- He'd already gone over the hill and Dave told me that he had decided to stay over there.
- What still confuses me though is why the people who protest about it every year insist on staying there.
1.1Used when gesturing to indicate the place intended: there on the right...
- ‘It's over there,’ she told him, pointing to it.
- Our archives are up there in the attic, but they haven't been sorted into any kind of order.
- She's down there at her desk.
1.2At that point (in speech, performance, writing, etc.): ‘I’m quite—.’ There she stopped...
- Our speech ended there, for Burginde came bumping up the steps with a bucket of warm water.
- We have no municipality with a large purse behind it - possibly there lies the cause.
- For between his crime and his punishment, there lies the really interesting stuff.
1.3In that respect; on that issue: I don’t agree with you there...
- So writers would be well advised to take separate advice on the legal position there.
- ‘You have me there,’ I replied after some thought, finally giving in.
- I have to take issue with you there.
2Used in attracting someone’s attention or calling attention to someone or something: hello there! there goes the phone...
- Hello there, can we please have your age, occupation, where you are from and where you are now?
- Hey there, old timer!
- There goes the last bus of the night.
3 (usually there is/are) Used to indicate the fact or existence of something: there’s a restaurant round the corner there comes a point where you give up...
- I'd worked so hard to get my new position, and now there was this sudden gap in my life.
- By the end of the weekend, there had been ten fatalities in road accidents in Ireland.
- Symptoms such as pain or sickness can indicate that there is a more serious problem inside the body.
exclamation
1Used to focus attention on something: there, I told you she wouldn’t mind!...
- I don't, you might already have guessed, own a DVD player yet. There, I've said it now.
- There, I've said my piece.
- There, I hope you're happy, you finally got it out of me!
2Used to comfort someone: there, there, you must take all of this philosophically...
- ‘There, there,’ he said quietly. ‘We'll talk about it. You'll be all right.’
- ‘There, there,’ I comfort. ‘You'll feel better once the culprit is caught.’
- There, there. It will soon be over.
Phrases
been there, done that
be there for
have been there before
here and there
so there
there and then
there goes ——
there it is
there or thereabouts
there you are (or go)
there you go again
there you have it
Origin
Old English thǣr, thēr of Germanic origin; related to Dutch daar and German da, also to that and the.