one of those things
noun phrase
informal
—used to refer to a bad or unfortunate experience that happened and to say that such experiences can happen to anyone
I missed the train and had to take a later one. It was just one of those things, I guess.
Examples of one of those things in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Now, even with two incomes, not even a single one of those things is necessarily possible to obtain.
—
Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2025
But getting elected president wasn’t – wasn’t – isn't one of those things.
—Nbc News, NBC news, 30 Mar. 2025
Good luck finding a food in America that doesn’t contain at least one of those things.
—Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 17 Mar. 2025
Sleep is one of those things most of us take for granted.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for one of those things
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2025
But getting elected president wasn’t – wasn’t – isn't one of those things.
—Nbc News, NBC news, 30 Mar. 2025
Good luck finding a food in America that doesn’t contain at least one of those things.
—Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 17 Mar. 2025
Sleep is one of those things most of us take for granted.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for one of those things
Cite this Entry
“One of those things.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/one%20of%20those%20things. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share