thing S1 W1 /θɪŋ/ BrE AmE noun
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: 'meeting, council, thing' ]
1 . IDEA/ACTION/FEELING/FACT [countable] an idea, action, feeling, or fact that someone thinks, does, says, or talks about, or that happens:
People say things they don’t mean when they are angry.
It was a horrible thing to happen.
I plan to do all the things I’ve been meaning to do for ages.
The first thing to do is to give them food and shelter.
That’s a terrible thing to say.
do the right/decent/honourable etc thing
I kept wondering if I was doing the right thing.
this/that/what sort of thing
A priest has to arrange funerals, marriages, that sort of thing.
Getting more American ideas into British business would be a good thing.
‘I did no such thing,’ he protested.
I know a thing or two (=a lot) about dogs.
In a democracy, it is no bad thing to be able to compromise (=it is good, even though it may not seem good) .
2 . OBJECT [countable] an object that you are talking about without saying its name, or whose name you do not know:
What’s that red thing?
I’ll just switch this thing off.
There was a round metal thing on the path.
... and things (=and other similar things)
The shed is where we keep our tools and things.
3 . CLOTHES/POSSESSIONS things [plural] especially British English clothes and possessions SYN stuff American English
sb’s things
Jim began to unpack his things.
I want to sell some of my things, but they aren’t worth much.
4 . EQUIPMENT things [plural] especially British English the tools, equipment, clothes etc that you need for a particular job, sport etc SYN stuff American English
sb’s writing/school/Christmas etc things
I left my swimming things at home.
the shed where he kept his gardening things
5 . SITUATION things [plural] life in general and the way it is affecting people:
By the end of 1942, things were starting to change.
Things could be worse.
As things turned out, we didn’t have much time.
How are things with you, Sarah?
make things easy/difficult/hard
She would get angry quickly, which made things difficult for me.
We can’t change the way things are.
6 . NOTHING [singular, uncountable] used as part of a negative statement to mean ‘anything’
not a thing
I couldn’t find a thing that I wanted to buy.
He took his glasses off and couldn’t see a thing.
Don’t worry about a thing.
There’s no such thing as ghosts (=they do not exist) .
7 . PERSON/ANIMAL [countable] used to talk to or about a person or animal, when you are describing what they are like or showing sympathy for them:
The baby is a nice little thing when he’s not screaming.
She was terribly upset, poor thing.
8 . MAKE A COMMENT [countable usually singular] used to say something about a particular part of a situation, person etc
thing about
The thing about teaching is that it takes more time to prepare than most people realize.
the funny/strange/best etc thing
The funny thing is, I really enjoyed it, even though I hadn’t expected to.
It’s a good thing you saw her before she saw you.
9 . the thing is spoken used when you are going to explain something, give the reason for something, or give an opinion:
‘It sounds like a good idea. Why don’t you invest?’ ‘Well, the thing is, I can’t afford to.’
the thing is that
The thing is that you can’t always judge your own work.
10 . the last thing somebody wants/expects/needs etc something that someone does not want, expect etc at all:
The last thing I want is to upset him.
The last thing I should have done was let her move into my house.
11 . last thing British English at the end of a day, afternoon, evening etc:
She likes a hot bath last thing at night.
12 . first thing at the beginning of a day, morning, afternoon etc:
Jean liked to go for a swim first thing in the morning.
13 . among other things used when you are giving one fact, reason, effect etc but want to suggest that there are many others:
The substance is used in the manufacture of cosmetics and drugs, among other things.
14 . for one thing used to give one reason for something:
Well, for one thing, it’s too big.
He’s not that wonderful. He’s bad-tempered for one thing.
15 . be a thing of the past to no longer exist or happen:
Before AIDS, many health care experts believed that large-scale infectious diseases were a thing of the past.
16 . it’s a good thing (that) spoken used to say that it is lucky or good that something has happened:
It’s a good thing we brought some food with us.
17 . something is just one of those things used to say that something unpleasant or unlucky cannot be prevented:
It wasn’t really the driver’s fault; it was just one of those things.
18 . the thing about/with somebody/something used to say what the problem with someone or something is:
The thing about talk shows is that you never know how they will turn out.
19 . all (other) things being equal used to say that something is true in general, but that other things may cause the situation to change:
All things being equal, smaller animals need smaller brains.
20 . just the thing/the very thing exactly the thing that you want or that is necessary:
A holiday is probably just the thing for you.
21 . of all things used to show that you are surprised or shocked by something that someone has done or said:
She gave up a promising career as a stockbroker to become a weaver, of all things.
22 . do your own thing informal to do something in the way that you like instead of copying other people or following strict rules:
I just want to live my own life and do my own thing.
23 . it’s a girl/football/music etc thing informal used to say that something involves or affects a particular group of people only:
Computer games aren’t just a guy thing.
24 . all things considered when you consider all the parts or events of a situation:
All things considered, we had surprisingly few injuries.
25 . be all things to all men/people to try to please or be useful to all of many different groups, often without succeeding:
In order to get votes, he tries to be all things to all men.
26 . be onto a good thing informal if you are onto a good thing, you are in a situation that is very helpful, comfortable, or profitable for you
think/know you are onto a good thing
Directors who take dividends instead of salary may think they are onto a good thing but could have problems on retirement.
27 . make a big thing of/about/out of something to make something seem more important than it really is:
You can apologise without making a big thing out of it.
28 . the done thing British English old-fashioned informal the way of behaving or doing something that is socially acceptable:
It is not the done thing for teachers to hit children.
29 . it’s one thing to ..., (it’s) another thing to ..., used to say that doing one thing is very different from doing another thing, especially where the second thing is more difficult, important, or serious:
It’s one thing being able to run fast, but quite another to win a marathon.
30 . what with one thing and another British English spoken used to explain that you have had a lot of work, problems, or jobs that you had to do:
I’ve been so busy these last few days, what with one thing and another.
31 . have a thing about somebody/something informal to like or dislike someone or something very much, often without a good reason:
She’s always had a thing about Peter.
32 . one thing leads to another used to explain how a series of events caused something to happen without giving any details:
One thing led to another and, before I knew it, I had invited her family to stay.
33 . the (latest) thing informal something that is popular or fashionable at the moment:
When Amelia bought a new car it had to be the latest thing.
34 . (do/try) the ... thing American English spoken used to talk about an activity and everything that is involved with it:
Jody tried the college thing but finally dropped out.
35 . there is only one thing for it British English spoken used to say that there is only one action that you can take:
There’s only one thing for it. We’ll have to call the police.
36 . one (damn/damned) thing after another used to say that a lot of unpleasant or unlucky things keep happening to you
37 . taking one thing with another British English considering all the facts
38 . do things to somebody to have a strong effect on someone
⇨ amount/come to the same thing at ↑ same 1 (4), ⇨ the best thing since sliced bread at ↑ slice 2 (4), ⇨ first things first at ↑ first 1 (7), ⇨ living things at ↑ living 1 (1), ⇨ be hearing things at ↑ hear (10), ⇨ be seeing things at ↑ see 1 (28)
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COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 3)
■ verbs
▪ things go well/badly etc
If things went well, we would double our money in five years.
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How did things go?
▪ things change
Things have changed dramatically over the last few years.
▪ things improve
Things appear to be improving.
▪ things get worse
As the recession proceeds, things will get worse.
■ phrases
▪ make things worse/easier/difficult
Measures to slow down traffic on the main street have actually made things worse.
▪ as things stand (=at present)
As things stand at the moment, I have no intention of becoming a candidate myself.
▪ as things turned out (=used to say what happened or was discovered in the end)
Obviously, there had to be some mistake. As things turned out, there was.
▪ the way things are (=the present situation)
I’m not at all dissatisfied with the way things are at the moment.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ thing used when you do not need to say the name, or when you do not know the name:
What’s that thing on the kitchen table?
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Have you got all your things?
▪ something a thing – used when you are not sure what the thing is:
There’s something on your shirt.
▪ object especially written a solid thing:
a sharp metal object
▪ item formal a particular kind of thing, or one of a group of things:
household items
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a luxury item
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an item of equipment
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The items included pieces of old pottery.
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You are not allowed to take sharp items onto the plane.
▪ article formal a particular kind of thing, or one of a group of things. Article is very formal, and is used especially in the phrase an article of clothing :
They found several articles of clothing in the bushes.
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suspicious articles
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Each article has a card with it giving more information.
▪ artifact ( also artefact ) formal an object that someone has made, especially one that is very old and has historical value:
The museum has a collection of early Roman artifacts.
▪ thingy ( also thingamajig/thingamabob ) spoken informal a thing – used especially when you cannot remember the name of the thing, but often the other person knows what you are talking about:
Can you pass me the thingy?