Meaning of there in English

there

adverb

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/ðeər/ us

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/ðer/

there adverb (PLACE)

(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

to arrive somewhere:

We'll never get there in time.

B2 informal

to succeed:

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

More examples

Don't stand out there in the cold, come in here and get warm.
I'm not quite sure how to get there - I'd better consult a map.
The countryside around there is lovely.
I like the house but I don't imagine I'll live there forever.
I peeked out the window to see who was there.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

In & at

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Arriving, entering and invading

Succeeding, achieving and fulfilling

there adverb (INTRODUCING SUBJECT)

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.

More examples

Curiously, there didn't seem to be a bank in the town.
Is there a direct train to Edinburgh?
There were loads of people waiting outside the post office.
There are twice as many houses in this area as there used to be.
There is a small building adjacent to the house that could be used as an office or studio.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Linguistics: connecting words joining words or phrases with similar or related meanings

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Grammar

Here and there

Here and there are adverbs. …

Here and there: meanings

When 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 prepositions

We can use here and there after prepositions: …

Here and there in front position

We 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 are

We 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 telephone

People 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 subjects

English 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 subject

We often use it as a dummy subject with adjectives and their complements: …

There as a dummy subject

There 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 are

We use there is and there are when we first refer to the existence or presence of someone or something: …

It to create focus

When 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 focus

We 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 focus

In 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: …

Idioms

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

there

exclamation

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/ðeər/ us

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/ðer/

used to express sympathy or satisfaction:

There, I've finally got it working.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Sympathy & compassion

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Grammar

There, their or they’re?

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

Idiom

there, there

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

there | American Dictionary

there

adverb [ not gradable ]

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/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.

Idioms

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

there's no telling

there

pronoun

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/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)

Examples of there

there

I don't know that there's a lot of new material here.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

There's lots of clues as to why there's three.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

These examples are from the Cambridge English Corpus and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

More examples Fewer examples

There's a big gulf between the decision-making processes in health and the evidence.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

I disagree that there's any need to build these social factors into the linguistic information in lexical items, however.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

There's always one voice in each of the stories that is noisier than the others, that seems to have some emotional connection to the material.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Your relationship with your parents is awful and you think you can't go on anymore, there's nothing good in me.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

They seem to have reasoned that ladies is plural, but as there's only one woman here, the expression needs to be singular.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

There's a sense of contact between the stage and the people whose story it's telling.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

There's a pragmatic thing that we have - a dislike of theory and too much discussion.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

All of this makes me think that there's considerable scope for a third party services market around the whole people-search area.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

While the shorter sections are useful and interesting in themselves, there's a possibility that a reader might not know where to start with this edition.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

They can call you then and when they do, there's no disobeying.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The fact that there's the perception about things being about slavery.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Which means, there's a moment of enquiry, she is seeking, she wants to find out whether it's all over or not.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Well, it's that old saying: you go well the first time, but there's nothing for the second time.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

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