thing.
That which is considered to exist as a separate entity, object, quality or concept.
Meaning & usage
That which is considered to exist as a separate entity, object, quality or concept.
A word, symbol, sign, or other referent that can be used to refer to any entity.
An individual object or distinct entity.
Whatever can be owned.
Corporeal object.
Possessions or equipment; stuff; gear.
Hold on, let me just grab my things.
The latest fad or fashion.
A custom or practice.
Cheek kissing is a French thing; you get used to it after a while.
A genuine concept, entity or phenomenon; something that actually exists (often contrary to expectation or belief).
Q: Bacon pie? Is that a thing? A: Yes, I checked into it, and it's a thing. Some people are even connoisseurs about it.
A unit or container, usually containing consumable goods.
Could you get me a thing of apple juice at the store?
I just ate a whole thing of jelly beans.
A problem, dilemma, or complicating factor.
The car looks cheap, but the thing is, I have doubts about its safety.
That's the thing: we don't know where he is.
A penis.
A vulva or vagina.
A living being or creature.
you poor thing
sweet young thing
Used after a noun to refer dismissively to the situation surrounding the noun's referent.
Oh yeah, I'm supposed to promote that vision thing.
That which is favoured; personal preference.
it's not really my thing
One's typical routine, habits, or manner.
let me do my thing; I'm here doing my thing
A public assembly or judicial council in a Germanic country.
A romantic relationship.
A romantic couple.
Are John and Jennifer a thing again? I thought they broke up.
Alternative form of ting.
Girl; attractive woman.
Look at the nyash on that thing!
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *tenk-? Proto-Indo-European *tenkóm Proto-Germanic *þingą Proto-West Germanic *þing Old English þing Middle English thing English thing From Middle English thing, from Old English þing, from Proto-West Germanic *þing, from Proto-Germanic *þingą. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Ding (“thing”), West Frisian ting, ding (“thing”), Dutch ding (“thing”), German Low German Ding (“thing”), German Ding (“thing”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish ting (“thing”), Faroese ting (“parliament, assembly”), Icelandic þing (“congress, assembly”), Scots hing (“thing”). The word originally meant "assembly", then came to mean a specific issue discussed at such an assembly, and ultimately came to mean most broadly "an object". Compare Latin rēs, also meaning "legal matter", and same transition from Latin causa (“legal matter”) to "thing" in Romance languages. Modern use to refer to a Germanic assembly is likely influenced by cognates (from the same Proto-Germanic root) like Old Norse þing (“thing”), Danish ting, Swedish ting, and Old High German ding with this meaning.
To express as a thing; to reify.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *tenk-? Proto-Indo-European *tenkóm Proto-Germanic *þingą Proto-West Germanic *þing Old English þing Middle English thing English thing From Middle English thing, from Old English þing, from Proto-West Germanic *þing, from Proto-Germanic *þingą. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Ding (“thing”), West Frisian ting, ding (“thing”), Dutch ding (“thing”), German Low German Ding (“thing”), German Ding (“thing”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish ting (“thing”), Faroese ting (“parliament, assembly”), Icelandic þing (“congress, assembly”), Scots hing (“thing”). The word originally meant "assembly", then came to mean a specific issue discussed at such an assembly, and ultimately came to mean most broadly "an object". Compare Latin rēs, also meaning "legal matter", and same transition from Latin causa (“legal matter”) to "thing" in Romance languages. Modern use to refer to a Germanic assembly is likely influenced by cognates (from the same Proto-Germanic root) like Old Norse þing (“thing”), Danish ting, Swedish ting, and Old High German ding with this meaning.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.