adverb / linking adverb · academic
thereby
UK/ðeəˈbaɪ/US/ðerˈbaɪ/there·BY
by that means; as a result of that action
Examples
“She improved the layout, thereby making the article easier to read.”
“The company automated its system, thereby reducing processing times.”
“He missed the meeting, thereby losing the chance to present his idea.”
Band 8 sentence
“The council redesigned the traffic flow, thereby alleviating congestion in the historic centre.”
Collocations
- thereby + verb-ing
- thereby + clause (less common)
Word family
Common mistakes
He skipped the step, therefore losing accuracy.→He skipped the step, thereby losing accuracy.
Thereby, the company saved money.→The company saved money, thereby reducing costs elsewhere.
Say it for a higher band
5so→6therefore→7+thereby
Synonyms
thus
Easily confused
thus
“He worked late and thus finished the project on time.”
consequently
“She ignored the rules; consequently, she faced penalties.”
Related words
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In Cause & effect
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