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

At the same time, in Asia, the United States abandoned plans for naval modernization and regional fortification but imposed increasingly severe sanctions on Japan, intensifying Tokyo’s perception of Washington as both hostile and vulnerable—thereby paving the road to the attack on Pearl Harbor. —Michael Beckley, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025

And while Joe Burrow played at a higher level than Mahomes, the Bengals missed the playoffs, thereby invoking the situational parameter within his ranking. —Jeff Howe, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 2025

Darwin’s theory, and what others suggest, is that over a long period of time, millions of years, perhaps, the fish in its biology was sufficiently altered, by will or habit or happenstance, to be able to push itself onto land, and thereby start building its own appendages for terrestrial transport. —John Werner, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025

Most hot planets with some surface water also have rain clouds which help to regulate the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, thereby cooling it. —Tom Brown, Space.com, 6 Jan. 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