the thing is
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Used to introduce a fact or explanation
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
Dùng để giới thiệu một sự thật hoặc giải thích
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
The thing is, I don't have enough money
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “the thing is” mean?
Used to introduce a fact or explanation
Is “the thing is” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.