there

¹

[ thair; unstressed ther ]

adverb

1. in or at that place ( here ):

   She is there now.

2. at that point in an action, speech, etc.:

   He stopped there for applause.

3. in that matter, particular, or respect:

   His anger was justified there.

4. into or to that place; thither:

   We went there last year.

5. (used by way of calling attention to something or someone):

   There they go.

6. in or at that place where you are:

   Well, hi there.

pronoun

1. (used to introduce a sentence or clause in which the verb comes before its subject or has no complement):

   There is no hope.

noun

1. that place:

   He comes from there, too.

2. that point, state, condition, etc.:

   I'll introduce you to her, but you're on your own from there on.

adjective

1. (used for emphasis, especially after a noun modified by a demonstrative adjective):

   Ask that man there.

interjection

1. (used to express satisfaction, relief, encouragement, approval, consolation, etc.):

   There! It's done.

-there

²

1. a combining form meaning “wild animal, beast,” used in the formation of compound words, usually denoting extinct mammals, as adaptions of zoological taxa ending in -therium or -theria: baluchithere.

there

/ ðɛə /

adverb

1. in, at, or to that place, point, case, or respect

   I'm afraid I disagree with you there

   we never go there

pronoun

1. used as a grammatical subject with some verbs, esp be, when the true subject is an indefinite or mass noun phrase following the verb as complement

   there is a girl in that office

   there doesn't seem to be any water left

adjective

1. postpositive who or which is in that place or position

   that boy there did it

2. all there
   predicative having his or her wits about him or her; of normal intelligence
3. so there
   an exclamation that usually follows a declaration of refusal or defiance

   you can't have any more, so there!

4. there and then or then and there
   on the spot; immediately; instantly
5. there it is
   that is the state of affairs
6. there you are
   1. an expression used when handing a person something requested or desired
   2. an exclamation of triumph

      there you are, I knew that would happen!

noun

1. that place

   near there

   from there

interjection

1. an expression of sympathy, as in consoling a child

Usage Note

 It is nonstandard usage to place there between a demonstrative adjective and the noun it modifies: that there car. The same is true of here: these here nails. Placed after the noun, both there and here are entirely standard: that car there; these nails here.

Usage

In correct usage, the verb should agree with the number of the subject in such constructions as there is a man waiting and there are several people waiting. However, where the subject is compound, it is common in speech to use the singular as in there's a police car and an ambulance outside

Grammar Note

The verb following there is singular or plural according to the number of the subject that follows the verb: There is a message for you. There are patients in the waiting room. With compound subjects in which all the coordinate words are singular, a singular verb often occurs, although the plural may also be used: There was (or were ) a horse and a cow in the pasture. When a compound subject contains both singular and plural words, the verb usually agrees with the subject closest to the verb, although a plural verb sometimes occurs regardless, especially if the compound has more than two elements: There were staff meetings and a press conference daily. There was (or were ) a glass, two plates, two cups, and a teapot on the shelf.

Word History and Origins

Origin of there¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English (adverb), Old English thǣr, thēr, cognate with Dutch daar, Old High German dār; akin to Gothic, Old Norse thar; that

Origin of there²

< New Latin -therium (singular), -theria (plural) < Greek thēríon, derivative of thḗr beast of prey; akin to feral ¹, fierce

Word History and Origins

Origin of there¹

Old English thǣr; related to Old Frisian thēr, Old Saxon, Old High German thār, Old Norse, Gothic thar

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. been there, done that, Informal. (used to say that you have experienced or are familiar with something and now think it is boring or of little worth):

   A big house in the suburbs? Been there, done that.

2. there is / are, (used to indicate the existence or occurrence of something or someone):

   There is some bark missing near the base of the tree.

   However, there are still ways to be healthy even while having a busy schedule.

More idioms and phrases containing there

• all there
• get there
• hang in (there)
• here and there
• here, there, and everywhere
• in there pitching
• neither here nor there
• no smoke without (where there's smoke there's) fire
• nothing to it (there's)
• somebody up there loves me
• take it from here (there)
• then and there
• where there's a will
• while there's life there's hope

Example Sentences

"Our work shows that there's reason to be hopeful about C. oligandrus's potential in aiding in the HIV cure effort," said Dr. Tietjen, the corresponding author on the paper from Wistar.

From Science Daily

"Each gene was like a single word. However, there was a piece of critical information lacking: transcription initiation sites for individual genes."

From Science Daily

“No matter what you believe or don’t believe, I think it’s important that people feel like there’s a glimmer of hope,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times

While it's possible that an exporter in a foreign country compensates the importer for these taxes — such as via rebates or lower prices — there's no requirement to do so.

From Salon

That is the reason why I refuse to attend the festival for the promotion of ‘Rust,’ especially now when there is still no justice for my daughter.”

From Salon

There Vs. Their Vs. They're

What’s the difference between there, their, and they're?

There is commonly used to introduce sentences or to indicate where something is, as in It’s over there, next to the window. Their is the possessive form of the personal pronoun they, essentially meaning belonging to or possessed by them, as in Is that their car, or ours? They’re is a contraction of they are.

There are many instances in which they’re confused because their pronunciations are exactly the same. (See what we did there?)

There are easy ways to remember which spelling is right, and they’re actually built into each word.

When it’s used to indicate location, there functions a lot like here (even though it can mean the opposite), and the word here is right inside of it.

You can remember that their is the one that’s used to show possession (like his and her) by remembering that it includes the word heir (a person who inherits possessions).

The apostrophe in they’re indicates that it’s a combination of two words and signals that it’s the one you want to use when you mean they are.

Here’s an example of there, their, and they’re used correctly in the same sentence.

Example: It’s hard to work as a team in that environment—when they’re in there, they’re their own worst enemies.

Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between there, their, and they’re.

Quiz yourself on there vs. their vs. they're!

In what order should there, their, and they’re be used in the following sentence?

_____ shoes are over _____, right next to where _____ sitting.

A. their, there, they’re
B. there, they’re, their
C. they’re, their, there
D. their, they’re, there