adv · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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General-American:/ðɛɹˈbaɪ/
Received-Pronunciation:/ðɛəˈbaɪ/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -aɪ
CMU ARPABET:DH EH1 R B AY1
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adv
Meaning 1
By it; by that; by that means, or as a consequence of that.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: formal, not-comparable
Examples
I enrolled in Old English classes and thereby learned much about Germanic languages.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
adverb
Meaning 2
by that means or because of that
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
He knocked over the red wine, thereby ruining the table cloth
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From Middle English therby, from Old English ðǣrbig, equivalent to there + by. Compare the parallel formation of German dabei.
Across languages
Translations
45 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Afrikaans:
sodoende
— by that
Bulgarian:
така
(taka)
— by that
Bulgarian:
по такъв начин
(po takǎv način)
— by that
Chinese Mandarin:
從而 /从而
(cóng'ér)
— by that
Chinese Mandarin:
因此
(yīncǐ)
— by that
Chinese Mandarin:
以此
(yǐcǐ)
— by that
Dutch:
daarbij
— by that
Esperanto:
pro tio
— by that
Finnish:
siten
— by that
French:
ainsi
— by that
French:
de ce fait
— by that
French:
par là
— by that
German:
dadurch
— by that
German:
damit
— by that
German:
deswegen
— by that
German:
darum
— by that
German:
deshalb
— by that
Greek:
ως εκ τούτου
(os ek toútou)
— by that
Hungarian:
ezáltal
— by that
Hungarian:
általa
— by that
Hungarian:
ennélfogva
— by that
Italian:
in tal modo
— by that
Italian:
perciò
— by that
Italian:
pertanto
— by that
Japanese:
それによって
(sore ni yotte)
— by that
Japanese:
そのために
(sono tame ni)
— by that
Māori:
nō reira
— by that
Norwegian Bokmål:
derved
— by that
Occitan:
atal
— by that
Occitan:
amb aquò
— by that
Occitan:
per aquò
— by that
Polish:
tym samym
— by that
Portuguese:
com isso
— by that
Portuguese:
assim
— by that
Portuguese:
desta forma
— by that
Portuguese:
dessa forma
— by that
Portuguese:
por isso
— by that
Russian:
таки́м о́бразом
(takím óbrazom)
— by that
