thank

When a person appreciates what another person does, he or she gives thanks or says thanks to that person.

These sentences use "thank" as a verb:

• We thanked our server for the food she brought to the table.
• Mario always thanks the person who brings him his newspaper in the morning.
• The passengers in the car thanked God for their safety following the accident.
• Have you thanked your employees for all of their hard work?
• I’d like to thank you for your support.

These sentences use "thank" as a noun:

• Everyone at the table gave thanks for the food that they were about to eat.
• Meredith wrote a note of thanks to her friend who gave her a bracelet.
• During Thanksgiving, Americans express their thanks for all the good things that they have in their lives.

Sometimes the words "thank-you" are hyphenated and used as an adjective:

• Louis and Cindy wrote out thank-you notes to the people who attended their wedding and gave them wedding gifts.
• James received a thank-you letter from the governor of the state for his service in Afghanistan.

Click here to go to the Word of the Day page.

This page was first published on November 22, 2012.