like that
English
Adjective
like that (not comparable)
- (idiomatic, euphemistic) Gay; homosexual.
- Synonym: that way
Prepositional phrase
- Used adverbially or adjectivally to indicate similitude, similarity, equivalent or comparable quality
- (adverbial) In such, the same, a similar way, in that particular manner
- (adjectival) Of the same, a similar, that particular kind.
- Synonyms: such, of the/that kind, of the/that sort, of the like, of that ilk
- We don't say stuff like that around here.
- I've never seen anything like that in my life.
- (adverbial) suddenly; unexpectedly.
- Synonyms: just like that; (very informal) bam, wham; all of a sudden
- Near-synonym: out of nowhere
- He was playing in the yard and, then, like that, he was gone.
- (interjectional) Used to indicate agreement with another speaker's statement.
- Synonym: what he said
- "And then the truck turned, the box fell out the back, and the truck just kept going." / "Yeah, like that."
Usage notes
- Note that, with the sense indicating similarity, the difference in form between the adverbial and adjectival uses can be quite subtle. Consider the two following examples, one differing from the other by only one word:
- We don't say it like that around here. (Here, "like that" functions as an adverb which modifies the verb "say" in the verb phrase "say it.")
- We don't say stuff like that around here. (In this case, "like that" plays the role of an adjective modifying "stuff.")
- It is also possible to read the second example as an adverbial use, but such an interpretation would be less common.
Translations
in that particular manner
|
of that particular type
quickly; unexpectedly
|
used to indicate agreement
Further reading
- “like that”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
- “like that”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.