thereby

adverb

there·​by t͟her-ˈbī How to pronounce thereby (audio)
ˈt͟her-ˌbī
1
: by that : by that means
thereby lost her chance to win
2
: connected with or with reference to that
thereby hangs a taleWilliam Shakespeare

Examples of thereby in a Sentence

He signed the contract, thereby forfeiting his right to the property.
Recent Examples on the Web Again, this is purely speculation, but Gibbons — or anyone else who recognized the resemblance between Ptah and the Academy Award statuette — might thereby have arrived at such a nickname. Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2024 Blockchain builders also try to eliminate centralized pockets of economic and governance power, thereby reducing the amount of trust users must place in other network actors. Chris Dixon, Fortune, 10 Mar. 2024 Officials here, as elsewhere, have long argued that the launchers, recognizable by their fluorescent green barrel, allow for more precise targeting of violent individuals and thereby reduce serious injuries. Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 The purpose of the game has (ostensibly) been for the Faithful members of the group to identify and vote out Traitors, thereby reducing the risk of a Traitor winning a more than $100,000 cash prize and leaving them with nothing. Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 7 Mar. 2024 The case was abruptly dropped in the middle of trial in New York on Wednesday, thereby clearing rare books dealer Glenn Horowitz, former Rock & Roll Hall of Fame curator Craig Inciardi and rock memorabilia seller Edward Kosnski of charges, according to the Associated Press. Rachel Desantis, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024 Sign a waiver of extradition and thereby consent to be extradited back to New York once eligible. The Arizona Republic, 4 Mar. 2024 The loss of high beams can reduce visibility in certain areas with limited surrounding lighting, thereby increasing the risk of a crash, the company told NHTSA. Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024 This can allow the glaciers behind them to flow more rapidly into the ocean, thereby accelerating sea level rise. Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 2 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thereby.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of thereby was before the 12th century

Cite this Entry

“Thereby.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thereby. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

thereby

adverb
there·​by t͟ha(ə)r-ˈbī How to pronounce thereby (audio)
t͟he(ə)r-;
ˈt͟ha(ə)r-ˌbī,
ˈt͟he(ə)r-
1
: by that : by that means
thereby lost her chance to win
2
: connected with or with reference to that
thereby hangs a tale

More from Merriam-Webster on thereby

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