the thing is

phrase

Used to shift focus to an overriding point or impediment.

“I'd like to come, but the thing is, I just can't afford it.”

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Meanings

phrase

alternative thing is

  1. colloquialidiomaticUsed to shift focus to an overriding point or impediment.

    I'd like to come, but the thing is, I just can't afford it.

    3 more examples

    We've discussed lots of options. Thing is, we only have an hour left.

    It's true that the stock market might go down, but the the thing is that with this investment you can make a profit regardless!

    The thing is, we've even had formal confirmation from Government itself that the crucial research required to make such sweeping claims hasn't been done!

    2022 January 12, Nigel Harris, “Comment: Unhappy start to 2022”, in RAIL, number 948, page 3

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 問題是... /问题是..., 是這樣的...
  • 問題是... /问题是... (wèntí shì...)shift focus to an overriding point or impediment
  • 是這樣的...shift focus to an overriding point or impediment
  • 是这样的... (shì zhèyàng de...)shift focus to an overriding point or impediment
Dutch het punt is, het zit zo
  • het punt isshift focus to an overriding point or impediment
  • het zit zoshift focus to an overriding point or impediment
Finnish kysymys on siitä, että, asia on niin, että
  • kysymys on siitä, ettäshift focus to an overriding point or impediment
  • asia on niin, ettäshift focus to an overriding point or impediment
  • juttu on niin, ettäshift focus to an overriding point or impediment
French le truc, c'est que
  • le truc, c'est queshift focus to an overriding point or impediment
German die Sache ist
  • die Sache istshift focus to an overriding point or impediment
Hungarian az a helyzet, hogy
  • az a helyzet, hogyshift focus to an overriding point or impediment
Icelandic málið er að
  • málið er aðshift focus to an overriding point or impediment
Irish is é an chaoi
  • is é an chaoishift focus to an overriding point or impediment
Japanese ただ、…, 要は、…
  • ただ、… (tada)shift focus to an overriding point or impediment
  • 要は、… (you wa)shift focus to an overriding point or impediment
  • 問題は、… (mondai wa)shift focus to an overriding point or impediment
Norwegian greien her
  • greien hershift focus to an overriding point or impediment
Polish chodzi o to, że, rzecz w tym, że
  • chodzi o to, żeshift focus to an overriding point or impediment
  • rzecz w tym, żeshift focus to an overriding point or impediment
  • sęk w tym, żeshift focus to an overriding point or impediment
Portuguese é que
  • é queshift focus to an overriding point or impediment
Romanian faza e că, ideea e că
  • faza e căshift focus to an overriding point or impediment
  • ideea e căshift focus to an overriding point or impediment
  • chestia e căshift focus to an overriding point or impediment
Russian де́ло в то́м, что
  • де́ло в то́м, что (délo v tóm, što)shift focus to an overriding point or impediment
Spanish es que, el caso es que
  • es queshift focus to an overriding point or impediment
  • el caso es queshift focus to an overriding point or impediment
Cite this entry
APA

the thing is. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/the%20thing%20is

MLA

“the thing is.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/the%20thing%20is. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “the thing is,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/the%20thing%20is.

Source: the thing is on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.