thing
/θɪŋ
/noun
1An object that one need not, cannot, or does not wish to give a specific name to: look at that metal rail thing over there there are lots of things I’d like to buy...
- Lia wished the thing he had given her would just vibrate; a feeling of unease rested in the pit of her stomach.
- My suitcase contains many things but one thing you can be sure of is that I've probably not got enough pants.
- The pink thing beside her is her G-string which she took out and decided not to wear back.
Synonyms
object, article, item, artefact, commodity;
device, gadget, contrivance, instrument, utensil, tool, implement;
entity, body
informal whatsit, what-d'you-call-it, what's-its-name, what's-it, whatchamacallit, thingummy, thingy, thingamabob, thingamajig, oojamaflip, oojah, gizmo
British informal doodah, doobry, gubbins
North American informal doodad, doohickey, doojigger, dingus
Australian/New Zealand informal thingo
1.1 (things) Personal belongings or clothing: she began to unpack her things
Synonyms
belongings, possessions, stuff, property, worldly goods, goods, personal effects, effects, paraphernalia, impedimenta, bits and pieces, bits and bobs;
luggage, baggage, bags, bags and baggage, chattels, movables, valuables;
clothes, garments;
Law goods and chattels
informal gear, junk, togs, garms, dunnage, traps
British informal clobber
South African informal trek
vulgar slang shit, crap
1.2 (with adjective or noun modifier things) Equipment, utensils, or other objects used for a particular purpose: they cleared away the lunch things
Synonyms
equipment, apparatus, gear, kit, tackle, stuff;
implements, tools, utensils;
accoutrements
1.3 [with negative] (a thing) Anything (used for emphasis): she couldn’t find a thing to wear...
- They know exactly what they're doing and in that respect I don't have a thing to worry about.
- I'll let them know what you have planned for us tonight, so don't worry about a thing.
- She felt as if she could just get lost in his eyes forever and not ever have a thing to worry about.
1.4Used to express one’s disapproval of or contempt for something: you won’t find me smoking those filthy things
1.5 [with postpositive adjective] (things) All that can be described in the specified way: his love for all things English...
- He seems to have developed a penchant for all things good, wholesome and American.
- O'Hagan did not always have such seething contempt for all things Caledonian.
- His fascination with all things Chopper also extends to the world wide web.
1.6Used euphemistically to refer to a man’s penis.
2An inanimate material object as distinct from a living sentient being: I’m not a thing, not a work of art to be cherished
2.1 [with adjective] A living creature or plant: the sea is the primal source of all living things on earth...
- I want you to save the righteous people and two of every kind of living thing on the earth.
- The trees protected by this bill are among the oldest, tallest, and largest living things on earth.
- Now, obviously, the presence of living things on Earth runs counter to this rule.
2.2 [with adjective] Used to express one’s feelings of pity, affection, approval, or contempt for a person or animal: have a nice weekend in the country, you lucky thing! the lamb was a puny little thing
Synonyms
person, soul, creature, wretch
informal devil, beggar, bunny, bastard
British vulgar slang sod, bugger
3An action, event, thought, or utterance: she said the first thing that came into her head the only thing I could do well was cook...
- There is one girl in my class who constantly says funny things which I wish I could remember later.
- Get out of the armchair, do things you enjoy and things you think will make a difference.
- You should thus try to convince your husband that such a thing is not socially acceptable.
Synonyms
activity;
act, action, deed, undertaking, exploit, feat;
task, job, chore, piece of business
thought, notion, idea, concept, conception;
concern, matter, worry, preoccupation
remark, statement, comment, utterance, observation, declaration, pronouncement
incident, episode, event, happening, occurrence, eventuality, phenomenon
3.1 (things) Circumstances or matters that are unspecified: things haven’t gone entirely to plan how are things with you?...
- The kiss of love is the kiss of life and no matter how badly things have been going, it's the kiss that heals.
- It seems like the lesson here is to let things slide, no matter how painful things get.
- I now realise that all is not lost, no matter how bad things get, all is never lost.
Synonyms
matters, affairs, circumstances, conditions, relations;
state of affairs, situation, life
3.2An abstract entity, quality, or concept: mourning and depression are not the same thing they had one thing in common—they were men of action...
- It is not at all necessary, though, that such a concept or such a thing exist.
- A concept that has too many clothes may in the end be the same thing as a concept that has none.
- We realised how our hobby was the thing we had in common and the most important part of that was sharing.
Synonyms
characteristic, quality, attribute, property, trait, feature, point, aspect, facet, element
fact, piece of information, point, detail, particular, factor
3.3An example or type of something: the game is the latest thing in family fun...
- I've never been a fan of that sort of thing but with fashion being what it is these days I let her have it done.
- The bottom line is society hasn't opened up much to accept this kind of thing.
- The young girl appeared oblivious to what he was up to; Martin guessed she did this sort of thing quite often.
3.4 [with adjective or noun modifier] informal A situation or activity of a specified type or quality: your being here is just a friendship thing, OK?...
- She was afraid because this modeling thing was a new situation so removed from her reality.
- I'm doing the premiere party thing tonight, so will have something to say about it tomorrow.
- The older son thing requires its own space, so the telling will be separate, if it happens.
3.5 informal A romantic or sexual relationship: Phil and Lisa had been having a thing...
- OMG I didn't know he and Kirsten had a thing.
- He and Jack finally have a thing going on and then he dies.
- Asked about the rumoured relationship in an interview, she insisted: We've never had a thing.
3.6 informal An established or genuine phenomenon or practice (typically used in expressions registering surprise or incredulity): according to media reports, sleep texting is now a thing among serious smartphone addicts he looks like he’s wearing boxers underneath his trunks (is that a thing?)...
- Here are the 10 Dos and Don'ts of Facebook-stalking your crush, if that's still a thing now.
- He cries some more, since that is a thing this season.
- Georgio, I can tell how old you are, because the kids today probably don't know that candy cigarettes were ever a thing.
4 (the thing) informal What is needed or required: you need a tonic—and here’s just the thing
4.1What is socially acceptable or fashionable: it wouldn’t be quite the thing to go to a royal garden party in wellies...
- At the newcomer level, sketch shows seem quite the thing.
- Apparently it's quite the thing to drop out of society for months and take to the rivers and byways.
- Around the time of Michael and A Life Less Ordinary, angels were quite the thing.
Synonyms
fashionable, in fashion, in vogue, popular, all the rage;
French le dernier cri
informal trendy, cool, in, the in thing, big, with it, hip, happening, now
5 (one's thing) informal One’s special interest or inclination: reading isn’t my thing
Synonyms
what one likes, what interests one
informal one's cup of tea, one's bag, what turns one on, what floats one's boat
6 (the thing) informal Used to introduce or emphasize an important point: the thing is, I am going to sell this house here’s the thing: this is a story, not a piece of hard news that’s the thing about style—no two people are completely alike...
- It was almost 20 years ago, and the thing was, it was introducing a revolutionary product.
- ‘But the thing was, of course, you got your revenge when it came to your turn,’ he says with relish.
- You know, the thing was, Australia was really held to ransom there, as far as I'm concerned.
Synonyms
fact of the matter, fact, point, issue, problem
Phrases
be all things to all men (or people)
be on to a good thing
be hearing (or seeing) things
a close (or near) thing
do one's own thing
do the —— thing
do things to
for one thing
have a thing about
have a thing for
—— is one thing, —— is another
make a (big) thing of (or about)
of all things
(just) one of those things
one thing after another
one thing leads to another
there is only one thing for it
(now) there's a thing
a thing of the past
a thing or two
things that go bump in the night
Origin
Old English, of Germanic origin; related to German Ding. Early senses included 'meeting' and 'matter, concern' as well as 'inanimate object'.
Just about anything can be called a thing, but in Old English it first meant ‘a meeting, an assembly’ or ‘a court, a council’. The word developed through ‘a matter brought before a court’ and ‘a concern, an affair’ to its more general modern senses. To be all things to all men can mean either ‘to attempt to please everyone’ or ‘to be able to be used differently by different people’. The expression probably goes back to a biblical verse in the First Epistle to the Corinthians: ‘I am made all things to all men.’ Odd sounds at night can be alarming, but if you are frightened you could recite ‘The Cornish or West Country Litany’, a traditional prayer which runs: ‘From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggety beasties / And things that go bump in the night, / Good Lord, deliver us!’ This has given us the expression things that go bump in the night for ghosts and supernatural beings. After a certain age everyone can be struck by the gloomy thought that things ain't what they used to be. The phrase originated as the title of a song by Ted Persons in 1941. The idiom do one's (own) thing is recorded from the mid 19th century, but it did not become widespread until the 1960s during the hippie culture; have a thing with (somebody) dates from this same decade.