thing
Other forms: things
Use the noun thing to refer to something without naming it specifically. You might describe your sister's bizarre outfit by saying, "She was wearing this puffy orange thing around her waist and a tall, feathered thing on her head."
If you can't name something or don't want to for some reason, you can use the word thing instead. You can also use it to talk about an action, as in "You did the right thing when you got lost," or a quality, like "your favorite thing about parties is spending time with your friends." The phrase "do your thing," which is associated with the 1960s, was actually first used in the 1840s to mean "follow your particular predilection."
Definitions of thing
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a separate and self-contained entity
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types:
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content, depicted object, subject
something (a person or object or scene) selected by an artist or photographer for graphic representation
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body of water, water
the part of the earth's surface covered with water (such as a river or lake or ocean)
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inessential, nonessential
anything that is not essential
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essential, necessary, necessity, requirement, requisite
anything indispensable
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part, piece
a portion of a natural object
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reservoir, source
anything (a person or animal or plant or substance) in which an infectious agent normally lives and multiplies
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building block, unit
a single undivided natural thing occurring in the composition of something else
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variable
something that is likely to vary; something that is subject to variation
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body part
any part of an organism such as an organ or extremity
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corpus
the main part of an organ or other bodily structure
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acicula
a needlelike part or structure of a plant or animal or crystal; as a spine or bristle or crystal
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adjunct
something added to another thing but not an essential part of it
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backwater
a body of water that was created by a flood or tide or by being held or forced back by a dam
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base
the bottom or lowest part
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bay, embayment
an indentation of a shoreline larger than a cove but smaller than a gulf
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chain, chemical chain
(chemistry) a series of linked atoms (generally in an organic molecule)
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channel
a deep and relatively narrow body of water (as in a river or a harbor or a strait linking two larger bodies) that allows the best passage for vessels
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corner
a projecting part where two sides or edges meet
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couple
(physics) something joined by two equal and opposite forces that act along parallel lines
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craton
the part of a continent that is stable and forms the central mass of the continent; typically Precambrian
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cutting
a piece cut off from the main part of something
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desideratum
something desired as a necessity
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drink
any large deep body of water
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estuary
the wide part of a river where it nears the sea; fresh and salt water mix
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flowage
a body of water that has been created by deliberately flooding an area
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crossing, ford
a shallow area in a stream that can be forded
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fragment
a piece broken off or cut off of something else
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gulf
an arm of a sea or ocean partly enclosed by land; larger than a bay
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high sea, international waters
the open seas of the world outside the territorial waters of any nation
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hunk, lump
a large piece of something without definite shape
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inlet, recess
an arm off of a larger body of water (often between rocky headlands)
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lake
a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land
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briny, main
any very large body of (salt) water
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mid-water
the water that is well below the surface but also well above the bottom
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must
a necessary or essential thing
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need, want
anything that is necessary but lacking
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nub, stub
a small piece
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ocean
a large body of water constituting a principal part of the hydrosphere
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offing
the part of the sea that can be seen from the shore and is beyond the anchoring area
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polynya
a stretch of open water surrounded by ice (especially in Arctic seas)
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pool, puddle
a small body of standing water (rainwater) or other liquid
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sea
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
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segment
one of the parts into which something naturally divides
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seven seas
an informal expression for all of the oceans of the world
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shallow, shoal
a stretch of shallow water
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slice
a thin flat piece cut off of some object
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sound
a large ocean inlet or deep bay
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stream, watercourse
a natural body of running water flowing on or under the earth
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strip
a relatively long narrow piece of something
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territorial waters
the waters surrounding a nation and its territories over which that nation exercises sovereign jurisdiction
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unit cell
the smallest group of atoms or molecules whose repetition at regular intervals in three dimensions produces the lattices of a crystal
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falls, waterfall
a steep descent of the water of a river
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waterway
a navigable body of water
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world
a part of the earth that can be considered separately
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chemical group, group, radical
(chemistry) two or more atoms bound together as a single unit and forming part of a molecule
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molecule
(physics and chemistry) the simplest structural unit of an element or compound
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type of:
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physical entity
an entity that has physical existence
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an entity that is not named specifically“I couldn't tell what the thing was”
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types:
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change
a thing that is different
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freshener
anything that freshens
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anathema, horror
something that inspires dislike; something horrible
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crackerjack, doozy, jimdandy, jimhickey
something excellent of its kind
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pacifier
anything that serves to pacify
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security blanket
anything that an adult person uses to reduce anxiety
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stinker
anything that gives off an offensive odor (especially a cheap cigar)
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whacker, whopper
something especially big or impressive of its kind
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type of:
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entity
that which is perceived or known or inferred to have its own distinct existence (living or nonliving)
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an artifact“how does this thing work?”
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types:
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flagship
the chief one of a related group
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pill
something that resembles a tablet of medicine in shape or size
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snorter
something that is extraordinary or remarkable or prominent
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standby
something that can be relied on when needed
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variation
an artifact that deviates from a norm or standard
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wobbler
something that wobbles
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bastard, mongrel
derogatory term for a variation that is not genuine; something irregular or inferior or of dubious origin
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vitamin pill
a pill containing one or more vitamins; taken as a dietary supplement
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any attribute or quality considered as having its own existence“the thing I like about her is ...”
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type of:
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attribute
an abstraction belonging to or characteristic of an entity
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attribute
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an event“a funny thing happened on the way to the...”
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types:
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feast
something experienced with great delight
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type of:
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happening, natural event, occurrence, occurrent
an event that happens
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feast
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an action“how could you do such a thing?”
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type of:
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action
something done (usually as opposed to something said)
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action
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a special situation“this thing has got to end”“it is a remarkable thing”
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type of:
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situation, state of affairs
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
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situation, state of affairs
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a special abstraction“a thing of the spirit”“things of the heart”
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type of:
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abstract, abstraction
a concept or idea not associated with any specific instance
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abstract, abstraction
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a vaguely specified concern
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a statement regarded as an object“to say the same thing in other terms”“how can you say such a thing?”
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type of:
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statement
a message that is stated or declared; a communication (oral or written) setting forth particulars or facts etc
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statement
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a persistent illogical feeling of desire or aversion“he has a thing about seafood”“she has a thing about him”
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type of:
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feeling
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
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feeling
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a special objective
Pronunciation
US
/θɪŋ/
UK
/θɪŋ/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘thing'.
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