Definition of That

What does the word That mean?

• part of speech: noun

  (dhat, occas. -at), conj. introducing subordinate clauses: (of statement or hypothesis) they say (t.) he is better, there is no doubt (t.) he meant it, it is suggested t. the mistake was intentional, it is hoped t. all will go well, it is monstrous t. he should expect further help, (to think) t. he should use me so!; (of purpose) he lives t. he may eat, he withdrew (in order) t. the dispute might cease; (of result) am so sleepy (t.) I cannot keep my eyes open, his language was such t. we declined further dealings with him, what have I done t. he should cut me?, where is he, t. you come without him?; (of reason or cause) it is rather t. he has not the time, not t. (I do not say this because) I have any objection; (of wish) (O) t. that were all!, (O) t. I knew the truth!; (archaic or literary) in t., since, in so far as; now t., since now, as you ought to write now t. you know the address. [old English]

• part of speech: noun

  come out of t. (slang form ordering person &c. to clear out).

• part of speech: adjective

  1. Demonstr. adj. & pron. (pr. dhat; pl. those pr. dhoz). The (person, thing), the person or thing, pointed to or drawn attention to or observed by the speaker at the time, or already named or understood or in question or familiar, as observe t. dog in the next field, who is t. (woman) in the garden?, what was t. noise?, what noise is t.?, don\'t roll your eyes like t. (as you are doing) or in t. imbecile fashion, I knew all t. before, talked about responsibilities& all t. (similar commonplaces), t. (your action, the action you tell me of) is not fair, that\'s right! (formula of approval), (col-loq.; also there\'s) that\'s (you, in view of present or future compliance &c., are) a dear!, I use t. (or the) term in a special sense, much to the disgust of t. (or the) monarch, was cured from t. hour, things were easier in those days; (with feeling) I will not see t. boy put upon, why will you bring t. woman here?, when you have done thumping t. piano, shall not easily forget t. day; (coupled or contrasted with this, & applied esp. to the farther, less immediate or obvious, &c., of two) this poker is much heavier than t. (one), went to this doctor& t. or to this &t. doctor (various doctors), this, t., & the other (various things), put this &t. (various facts &c.) together; (as pron. replacing the w. noun, w. sense completed by rel. pron. expressed or, in obj. case& archaic in subj., omitted) those who drink water think water, those may try it who choose, had t. in his eye which forbade further trifling, all those (that) I saw, all those (usu. the) specimens that I saw, those (usu. the) few (books) that I had, a different pattern to that (which) I was used to; (or by adj. or equivalent) those unfit for use, those below the standard, a tunic like that described above, those (usu. the) persons most injured by the tax, like most of those issuing from German workshops, cost of oil is less than t. of gas; (foil, by that conj.) such, such a, as has t. confidence in his theory that he would put it into practice tomorrow, was wounded to t. degree that he resigned. 2. Adv. (pr. dhat). To such a degree, so, as (colloq.) will go t. far, have done t. much, (vulg.) I was t. angry 1 could have struck him. 3. Rel. pron. (pl. same; pr. dhat; used, exc. archaic, rhet., poet., only to introduce defining-clause essential or rhet. viewed as essential to identification; now largely replaced by WHO& to some extent by WHICH, esp. after antecedent that; in obj. case, & in archaic use in subj., that is often omitted; prep. governing that is always placed after it& usu. at end of clause). Exx.: the book (t. or which) I sent you, the box (t. or which) you put them in, the man (t.) or usu. whom) you stopped, the people (t.) you got it from or from whom you got it, the meanest flower t. (rarely which) blows, the best t. (not which) you can do, no one (t.; not whom) I ever heard of could see any difference. [old English]