Skip to main content
thank you

thank you

1.0
A polite phrase people say to show they feel grateful
  • noun
  • /θæŋk ju/
translation icon : agradecimiento
  • Welcome to the farm and thank you for choosing us.
  • a special thank you
  • extend a thank you

Examples

  • And I also want to thank you, our members, for your support and dedication.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Thank you very much and thank you for your help.

  • Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, Thank you.

  • And we just thank you so much for that.

  • And may I say thank you for watching this video.

  • I hope that you enjoyed it and thank you so much for watching.

  • Steve, I have to thank you.

  • I'm grateful and thank you for your kind words.

  • Sorry about the delay in responding, but I wish to thank you for your words of wisdom.

    Academic text (2013)
  • I wanted to thank you for helping me with my project.

Synonyms

thanks
vsthank you
1.0

Words you say or write to show you are grateful

is more formal and explicitly polite in social situations
ta
vsthank you
  • UK
7 9.9

To say thank you in a short informal way in Britain

is more neutral and formally polite in any setting
thanks a bunch
vsthank you
  • Informal
4 7.7

An informal way of saying thank you very much

is more neutral and formally polite not strongly emotional
merci
vsthank you
4 8.8

A French word used to say thank you

is the regular polite English phrase rather than a foreign borrowing
gracias
vsthank you
4 8.6

A Spanish word used to say thank you

is the common English polite form rather than a foreign expression
grazie
vsthank you
1 9.5

An Italian word used to say thank you

is the usual English polite phrase rather than a foreign variant
tha
vsthank you
  • Slang
1 9.9

A short informal form of thank you used in casual speech or messages

is the standard polite form rather than slang or text spelling
domo
vsthank you
  • Informal
1 9.9

A casual Japanese word meaning thanks

is the standard polite English phrase rather than a casual foreign term
danke
vsthank you
  • Informal
1 9.9

An informal way to say thank you that comes from German and is used in English conversation

is the neutral English polite phrase rather than a borrowed foreign word
thankee
vsthank you
  • Archaic
9.9

A friendly old word people say to show they are grateful

is the modern neutral polite expression rather than old fashioned usage
ta everso
vsthank you
  • UK
9.9

An informal British way to say thank you very much

is the standard polite phrase without extra intensity or regional mark
to mahalo
vsthank you
  • US
9.9

To say thank you to someone

is the standard English polite phrase rather than a foreign term
cheers
vsthank you
  • UK
6.7

A friendly informal word used to thank someone, say goodbye, and to make a toast before drinking

is a focused polite phrase for gratitude rather than a general greeting

How Grateful

thank you
1.0
thanks
1.0

Surface Forms

thank you singular
thank yous plural

Morphology

thank + you

The meaning 'to express gratitude' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'thank' (to express thanks) with 'you' (the addressee); the phrase simply performs the speech act signalled by its parts. This construction is conventionalized but compositional and has clear cross-linguistic equivalents, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand it.

Etymology

Thank you comes from saying 'I thank you' or 'I give you thanks' in full; imagine handing someone a small gift to show thanks, and the short phrase became the easy way to show 'thanks'.