Meaning of “there” in the English Dictionary

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"there" in English

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thereadverb

uk ​ /ðeər/ us ​ /ðer/

there adverb (PLACE)

A1 (to, at, or in) that place:

Put the chair there.
The museum is closed today. We'll go there tomorrow.
There's that book you were looking for.
I'll have to stop you there - we've run out of time.
I left the boxes over/out/under there.
get there

A1 to arrive somewhere:

We'll never get there in time.

B2 informal to succeed:

Try again - you'll get there in the end.

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there adverb (INTRODUCING SUBJECT)

A1 used to introduce the subject of a sentence, especially before the verbs be, seem, and appear:

There's someone on the phone for you.
There's no doubt who is the best candidate.
I took out my wallet but there was no money in it.
By the time I got back, there was no food left.
There appeared/seemed to be a problem with finding a date for the meeting.
not standard There's (= there are) lives at stake and we can't afford to take any risks.

› literary used to begin some children's stories written in a traditional style:

There once was/lived a poor widow who had a beautiful daughter.

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Grammar

Here and thereHere and there are adverbs. …
Here and there: meaningsWhen we use here, it typically refers to the place where the speaker is, and we see the position of people and things from the speaker’s point of view: …
Here and there with this, that, these, those (demonstratives)We often use here with nouns that have this or these before them, and there with nouns that have that or those before them: …
Here and there after prepositionsWe can use here and there after prepositions: …
Here and there in front positionWe can use here and there in front position, with the subject and verb inverted. The most common expressions of this type are here is x, here comes x, there is x, there goes x: …
Here you are, there you areWe can use here you are and there you are (or, in informal situations, here you go and there you go) when giving something to someone. Here and there have the same meaning in this use: …
Here it is!There he is!We often use here + subject pronoun + be and there + subject pronoun + be at the moment of finding or meeting someone or something we have been looking for or waiting for: …
Here I am!People often say that they have arrived or that someone else has arrived using here + subject pronoun + be: …
Here: on the telephonePeople often use here to identify themselves on the telephone or in voicemail messages: …
Hello there!We often use there in informal situations after hello and hi: …
There, their or they’re?There, their and they’re are commonly confused in English, as they sound the same. …
Dummy subjectsEnglish clauses which are not imperatives must have a subject. Sometimes we need to use a ‘dummy’ or ‘empty’ or ‘artificial’ subject when there is no subject attached to the verb, and where the real subject is somewhere else in the clause. It and there are the two dummy subjects used in English: …
It as a dummy subjectWe often use it as a dummy subject with adjectives and their complements: …
There as a dummy subjectThere operates as a dummy subject in the construction there is or there are. There is/are indicates that something or someone exists or is in a particular place or situation: …
There is, there’s and there areWe use there is and there are when we first refer to the existence or presence of someone or something: …
It to create focusWhen we use it at the beginning of a clause, the subject can go at the end of the clause and therefore be in the position of focus or emphasis (underlined): …
There to create focusWe can use there at the start of a clause as a type of indefinite subject. This means that we can put the actual subject at the end of the clause and so give it emphasis or focus (underlined below): …
Noun forms of verbs to create focusIn formal writing, especially academic writing, we can use a noun form of a verb as a subject. By doing this, extra focus is given to the end of the clause. Noun phrase subjects (topics) are in bold type below; the focus of each sentence is underlined: …

Idiom(s)

be there for sb
there you go again
there and back
there you go
there's a good boy/girl/dog!

thereexclamation

uk ​ /ðeər/ us ​ /ðer/

Grammar

There, their or they’re?There, their and they’re are commonly confused in English, as they sound the same. …

Idiom(s)

there, there

(Definition of “there” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

"there" in American English

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thereadverb [ not gradable ]

us ​ /ðeər/

there adverb [ not gradable ] (PLACE)

› in, at, or to that place:

Put the chair there.
The museum was closed today, so we’ll go there tomorrow.

Idiom(s)

there's no (such thing as a) free lunch
there's no telling

therepronoun

us ​ /ðeər/

there pronoun (INTRODUCING A SENTENCE)

› used to introduce sentences, esp. before the verbs be, seem, and appear:

There’s someone on the phone for you.
There will be plenty of time to pack tomorrow.

(Definition of “there” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Blogs about "there"

There, their and they're – which one should you use?

by Liz Walter,

Accept or except? Affect or effect? Spelling words that sound similar.

by Liz Walter,

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