thereby

adverb

there·​by t͟her-ˈbī 

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 tale

—William Shakespeare

Examples of thereby in a Sentence

He signed the contract, thereby forfeiting his right to the property.

Recent Examples on the Web

Trading away LaVine only deepened their need to plummet as low in the standings as possible, thereby improving their odds of landing one of the highly touted young stars in this year’s draft. —Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2025

When Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas balked at those terms, Trump instead secured the Abraham Accords, normalizing relations between Israel and four Arab-majority states and thereby eroding pan-Arab solidarity in support of Palestinian rights. —Peter L. Hahn / Made By History, TIME, 6 Feb. 2025

For years, theaters had been taking advantage of a loophole: Because the LCO’s jurisdiction applied only to public performances, theaters could charge patrons a nominal membership fee, thereby transforming themselves into private subscription clubs out of the censors’ reach. —Thomas Chatterton Williams, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2025

The next record to fall will be when Ne Zha 2 soon hits $1B in China, thereby becoming the only film ever to reach that mark in a single market. —Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 8 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing thereby

• thereby hangs a tale

Kids Definition

thereby

adverb

there·​by t͟ha(ə)r-ˈbī 

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