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

That valuation is justified by its reliance on Nvidia chips, which last long, thereby questioning the notion of obsolescence. —Jim Cramer, CNBC, 1 Apr. 2025

The Constitution thereby allows for the vice president to serve out the remaining term and then serve two more terms, for a total of ten years. —Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 31 Mar. 2025

If the media deal lands on the low end of projections, the conference might opt to offer partial shares, thereby creating more dollars for the core eight. —Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2025

Making matters worse, the remediation efforts are expected to continue into 2026, thereby increasing the time during which the company’s financials are less trustworthy and increase the likelihood of restatements. —David Trainer, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing thereby

• thereby hangs a tale

Rhymes for thereby

• abscissae
• alibi
• alkali
• alumni
• amoebae
• amplify
• annuli
• beautify
• brachii
• butterfly
• calculi
• certify

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