thank you

1. 1
   grateful wordsinterjection

   Said to acknowledge something someone has done or given, either gratefully or as a courtesy.

   “Thank you for driving me to the airport,” she said as she grabbed her bag from the trunk.

   The speaker waited for the applause to fade, then smiled and said, “Thank you, everyone.”

   Similarthanks, cheers

   Note

   The phrase began as a present subjunctive, like thank God or praise the Lord, though few speakers hear it that way now. Older writing often keeps a subject and the pronoun ye: in Bonduca, attributed to John Fletcher, None, I thank ye is called a short and touchy answer. Today it works as a fixed unit, with for giving the reason: thank you for coming.

2. 2
   interjection

   Used, often after yes, as a polite way of accepting an offer.

   “Would you like more coffee?” “Yes, thank you, just half a cup.”

   When the host offered to take her coat, she slipped it off with a quiet “Thank you.”

   Similarthanks, please

   Note

   Here the phrase does the work of please, accepting something offered rather than thanking for something done: More coffee? Yes, thank you. Adding yes makes the acceptance unmistakable; on its own, thank you can be heard either way, and no, thank you is the polite refusal.

3. 3
   noun · thank-youcountable

   An expression of gratitude to someone.

   The mayor sent the volunteers a heartfelt thank-you after the river cleanup.

   At the end of the concert, the conductor's thank-yous went on longer than the encore.

   Note

   As a noun the phrase takes a hyphen and a regular plural: a big thank-you, the conductor's thank-yous. It is countable, so it comes with a or with a number, and adjectives such as big, heartfelt or special slip in front of it.

4. 4
   sign of gratitudenoun · thank-you

   Serving to express thanks.

   She spent Sunday afternoon writing thank-you notes for her wedding gifts.

   The staff received a small thank-you bonus after the busy holiday season.

   Note

   Only the position before a noun is possible here: a thank-you letter, a thank-you note, a thank-you bonus. The word labels what the thing is for, and it never follows a verb, so one writes a thank-you note but never says the note is thank-you.

5. 5
   ending a meetinginterjection

   Used to politely dismiss someone or close an exchange, usually in professional settings.

   The judge looked up from her notes. “Thank you, that will be all,” she told the witness.

   “Thank you, we'll be in touch,” the interviewer said, standing to show the candidate out.

   Similarthanks

   Note

   The person in charge uses it to close the exchange: thank you, that will be all; thank you, we'll be in touch. The gratitude is largely a formality and the listener is expected to leave, which is why it suits courtrooms, interviews and offices, where a bare instruction to go would sound rude.

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