# thank you

Pronunciation: say "THANGK yoo" /ˈθæŋk ˌju/

## Interjection

1. Said to acknowledge something someone has done or given, either gratefully or as a courtesy.
   - Simple: Said to show you are grateful, or to be polite, when someone does or gives you something.
   - _“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.”_
2. Used, often after yes, as a polite way of accepting an offer.
   - Simple: Said to politely accept something someone offers you, often after “yes.”
   - _“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.”_
5. Used to politely dismiss someone or close an exchange, usually in professional settings.
   - Simple: Said to politely tell someone that a meeting or talk is over, often at work.
   - _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._

## Noun · thank-you

3. An expression of gratitude to someone.
   - Simple: A way of showing that you are grateful 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._
4. Serving to express thanks.
   - Simple: Made or given to show that you are grateful.
   - _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._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–2, 5** — From Middle English thanke yow. Like thank God and praise the Lord, it was originally a present subjunctive form, though it is not usually understood that way today; it has also sometimes been read as a short form of "I thank you", and both readings may plausibly exist side by side.
**Meanings 3–4** — From the phrase thank you, formed from thank + you.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/thank-you (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).