- used for referring to a person or thing that is not near the speaker, or not as near to the speaker as another
- Who's that?
- That's Peter over there.
- (British English) Hello. Is that Jo? (= when speaking on the phone) In North American English say Is this Jo?
- That's a nice dress.
- Those look riper than these.
Definitions on the go
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- used for referring to somebody/something that has already been mentioned, or is already known about
- What can I do about that?
- Do you remember when we went to Norway? That was a good trip.
- That's exactly what I think.
- (formal) used for referring to people or things of a particular type
- Those present were in favour of change.
- There are those who say (= some people say) she should not have got the job.
- Salaries are higher here than those in my country.
- /ðət/, /ðæt//ðət/, /ðæt/(plural that)used as a relative pronoun to introduce a part of a sentence which refers to the person, thing or time you have been talking about
- Where's the letter that came yesterday?
- Who was it that won the US Open?
- The watch (that) you gave me keeps perfect time.
- The people (that) I spoke to were very helpful.
- It’s the best novel (that) I’ve ever read.
- We moved here the year (that) my mother died.
Word OriginOld English thæt, nominative and accusative singular neuter of se ‘the’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch dat and German das.
Idioms
See that in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee that in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishand (all) that
- (British English, informal) and everything else connected with an activity, a situation, etc. synonym and so forth
- Did you bring the contract and (all) that?
that is (to say)
- used to say what something means or to give more information
- He's a local government administrator, that is to say a civil servant.
- You'll find her very helpful—if she's not too busy, that is.
Language Bank i.e.i.e.Explaining what you mean- Some poems are mnemonics, i.e. they are designed to help you remember something.
- Some poems are mnemonics, that is to say, they are designed to help you remember something.
- Mnemonic poems, that is, poems designed to help you remember something, are an excellent way to learn lists.
- A limerick’s rhyme scheme is A–A–B–B–A. In other words, the first, second and fifth lines all rhyme with one another, while the third and fourth lines have their own rhyme.
- In this exercise the reader is encouraged to work out the meaning, or rather the range of meanings, of the poem.
- This is a poem about death, or, more precisely, dying.
- He says his poems deal with ‘the big issues’, by which he means love, loss, grief and death.
that’s it (informal)
- used to say that somebody is right, or is doing something right
- No, the other one… that’s it.
- That's it, carry on!
- used to say that something is finished, or that no more can be done
- That's it, the fire's out now.
- That's it for now, but if I get any news I'll let you know.
- A week to go, and that's it!
- used to say that you will not accept something any longer
- That's it, I've had enough!
- used to talk about the reason for something
- So that's it—the fuse had gone.
- You don't love me any more, is that it?
that’s that
- (informal) used to say that your decision cannot be changed
- Well I'm not going, and that's that.
Check pronunciation:
that