Meanings
- Expressing relief or gratitude for some happening or situation.
Near-synonyms: thank goodness; praise be, praise be to God, praise the Lord
1 more example
'Not a woman near the place,' said the village. 'Thanks be,' said Peters.
1972, Rumer Godden, The DiddakoiSynonyms: thank God, thank goodness, praise be, praise be to God, praise the Lord
Synonyms & antonyms
phraseExpressing relief or gratitude for some happening or situation.
Origin
Ellipsis of thanks be to God, a present subjunctive clause inherited intact from a time when English was freely productive of them.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
thanks be. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thanks%20be
“thanks be.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thanks%20be. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “thanks be,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thanks%20be.
Source: thanks be on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.