Word.ws English Dictionary

the thing is

the thing is phrase: used to shift focus to an overriding point or impediment.

Phrase

the thing is

  1. (colloquial, idiomatic) Used to shift focus to an overriding point or impediment.
    • I'd like to come, but the thing is, I just can't afford it.
    • We've discussed lots of options. Thing is, we only have an hour left.

Examples of the thing is in a sentence

  • It's true that the stock market might go down, but the the thing is that with this investment you can make a profit regardless!
  • The thing is, we've even had formal confirmation from Government itself that the crucial research required to make such sweeping claims hasn't been done!2022 January 12, Nigel Harris, “Comment: Unhappy start to 2022”, in RAIL, number 948, page 3:

Forms of the thing is

alternative formthing is

Questions about the thing is

What does the thing is mean?
The thing is means used to shift focus to an overriding point or impediment.
How do you use the thing is in a sentence?
It's true that the stock market might go down, but the the thing is that with this investment you can make a profit regardless!
What part of speech is the thing is?
The thing is is a phrase.

Words near the thing is in the dictionary

  1. the tail wags the dog
  2. the tar out of
  3. the terrorists will have won
  4. the thick plottens
  5. the thing
  6. the thing is
  7. the thing of it
  8. the Three Weeks
  9. the time has come
  10. the tits
  11. the tongue wounds more than a lance

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: the thing is (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-au-the thing is.ogg.

Cite this entry: “the thing is.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/the_thing_is. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.