things

NOUN

belongings

Synonyms

STRONGEST

stuff

STRONG

baggage chattels clothes conditions duds effects gear goods possessions

Frequently Asked Questions

What is another word for things?

The word things can mean a lot of… things. Most of the time, the words thing and things are the ones being used in place of more specific words. But there are other general terms you can use instead. The word things can refer to anything—it can refer to physical objects or articles but also to nonphysical entities. The word items can be used for tangible things (as in We have a few new items in stock) or intangible ones (as in There are a few items on the agenda). The word ones is sometimes used as a stand-in for things (see the preceding sentence). The word something can be used to refer to an undetermined or unspecified thing. The pronoun it is commonly used to refer to something without naming it. The plural pronoun they can be used to refer to multiple things in this way. The word stuff can be used to collectively refer to a bunch of things, especially a collection of miscellaneous physical objects, but also informally to a collection of intangible things like events or occurrences (as in A lot of stuff happened today), actions or activities (as in There is plenty of stuff you can do to stay busy), topics (as in We learned a lot of stuff in that class), and other stuff. Sometimes, the word things is used more specifically to mean belongings, as in These are not my things—they must be someone else’s. Objects of commerce (things that are bought and sold) are often generally referred to as goods.

What is a fancier word for things?

The word things is often somewhat informal. When referring to tangible things, the word objects is less informal. The word items is also a way to be more formal and can refer to tangible or intangible things.

What is the opposite (antonym) of things?

One potential opposite for the word things is the word nothing—if you don’t have any things, you have nothing. For example:

“How many things are on the agenda?”
“None—there is nothing on the agenda.”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

When Emily Cullen picked up her son after his English exam, she assumed the smile on his face meant things had gone well.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026

“We are trying to calm the streets to make sure things don’t escalate further,” said Razi El Hage, a Lebanese Forces member of parliament representing the area.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

"I think things come in cycles," she said.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026

“A lot of this is technology we’ve already made for Starlink V3 satellites. We don’t think this is a super hard problem compared to things we already do.”

From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026

Unfortunately, there are many things we don’t know.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

things

Frequently Asked Questions

Example Sentences

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