thread

American  

[thred] / θrɛd /

noun

threads plural

1. a fine cord of flax, cotton, or other fibrous material spun out to considerable length, especially when composed of two or more filaments twisted together.

2. twisted filaments or fibers of any kind used for sewing.

3. one of the lengths of yarn forming the warp or weft of a woven fabric.

4. a filament or fiber of glass or other ductile substance.

5. Ropemaking.

   1. any of a number of fibers twisted into a yarn.

   2. a yarn, especially as enumerated in describing small stuff.

6. something having the fineness or slenderness of a filament, as a thin continuous stream of liquid, a fine line of color, or a thin seam of ore.

   a thread of smoke.

7. the helical ridge of a screw.

8. that which runs through the whole course of something, connecting successive parts.

   I lost the thread of the story.

9. something conceived as being spun or continuously drawn out, as the course of life fabled to be spun, measured, and cut by the Fates.

10. Digital Technology. a series of posts and responses on a message board or electronic mailing list that deal with the same subject and are grouped together.

11. Slang. threads, clothes.

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verb (used with object)

threads, present (3rd person singular) threaded, past participle, past threading present participle

1. to pass the end of a thread through the eye of (a needle).

2. to fix (beads, pearls, etc.) upon a thread that is passed through; string.

3. to pass continuously through the whole course of (something); pervade.

   A joyous quality threaded the whole symphony.

4. to make one's way through (a narrow passage, forest, crowd, etc.).

5. to make (one's way) thus.

   He threaded his way through the crowd.

6. to form a thread on or in (a bolt, hole, etc.).

7. to place and arrange thread, yarn, etc., in position on (a sewing machine, loom, textile machine, etc.).

8. to remove (facial hair, especially eyebrow hair) by using a looped and twisted thread to roll over the hair and lift it from the follicles.

verb (used without object)

threads, present (3rd person singular) threaded, past participle, past threading present participle

1. to thread one's way, as through a passage or between obstacles.

   They threaded carefully along the narrow pass.

2. to move in a threadlike course; wind or twine.

3. Cooking. (of boiling syrup) to form a fine thread when poured from a spoon.

4. to remove facial hair, especially from the eyebrows, by using a looped and twisted thread.

thread British  

/ θrɛd /

noun

1. a fine strand, filament or fibre of some material

2. a fine cord of twisted filaments, esp of cotton, used in sewing, weaving, etc

3. any of the filaments of which a spider's web is made

4. any fine line, stream, mark, or piece

   from the air, the path was a thread of white

5. a helical groove in a cylindrical hole ( female thread ), formed by a tap or lathe tool, or a helical ridge on a cylindrical bar, rod, shank, etc ( male thread ), formed by a die or lathe tool

6. a very thin seam of coal or vein of ore

7. something acting as the continuous link or theme of a whole

   the thread of the story

8. the course of an individual's life believed in Greek mythology to be spun, measured, and cut by the Fates

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verb

1. (tr) to pass (thread, film, magnetic tape, etc) through (something)

   to thread a needle

   to thread cotton through a needle

2. (tr) to string on a thread

   she threaded the beads

3. to make (one's way) through or over (something)

4. (tr) to produce a screw thread by cutting, rolling, tapping, or grinding

5. (tr) to pervade

   hysteria threaded his account

6. (intr) (of boiling syrup) to form a fine thread when poured from a spoon

thread Idioms  

1. see hang by a thread; lose the thread.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• threader
  noun
• misthread
  verb
• rethread
  verb
• self-threading
  adjective
• threadless
  adjective
• threadlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• threads
  plural

Participles

• threading
  present
• threaded
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• thread
  simple
• threads
  simple
• have threaded
  perfect
• has threaded
  perfect
• am threading
  progressive
• are threading
  progressive
• is threading
  progressive
• have been threading
  perfect progressive
• has been threading
  perfect progressive

Past

• threaded
  simple
• had threaded
  perfect
• was threading
  progressive
• were threading
  progressive
• had been threading
  perfect progressive

Future

• will thread
  simple
• will have threaded
  perfect
• will be threading
  progressive
• will have been threading
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of thread

before 900; (noun) Middle English threed, Old English thrǣd; cognate with Dutch draad, German Draht, Old Norse thrathr wire; (v.) Middle English threeden, derivative of the noun See throw

Explanation

Thread is a length of twisted fibers (usually three strands together), made from cotton, silk, or other material, that can be used in sewing, quilting, embroidery, and other handicrafts. The noun thread can also be used figuratively to refer to different parts of something, like thoughts or a conversation, that are connected as if joined by thread. If you were distracted by a crash in the kitchen, you might lose the thread of your conversation. Thread can also refer to the raised ridge on the outside of a screw or bolt, and you can use thread as a verb when you mean to string or to pass a thread through a needle.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

thread threads threaded threading

A right-handed screw fits a right-handed thread, while a left-handed screw does not.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026

At that point he looked on the verge of one of the biggest shock defeats in heavyweight history, with the long-awaited Tyson Fury fight hanging by a thread.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

With the highest thread density, the chips can support more AI agents per watt, per dollar and per chip rack, according to the company.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

Matsumoto contributed a long series of comments to the thread, many of which have since been deleted.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

The Davenport brothers escaped from their spirit cabinet, but one of the professors discovered a piece of broken thread on the floor.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

The results introduce a new way to "match the threads" between light and matter.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026

Once in, they can spot legitimate email threads about invoices and business matters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

“Being able to nail the food, and nail the story, those are two very difficult threads to weave,” Garner says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

It’s time to merge the disparate threads into a single comprehensive story—one that people won’t forget.

From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026

The threads quickly transformed into a small quilt decorated with an image of Masterji Thakur.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

Researchers have now shown that specially shaped light can act as a similar type of threaded probe, interacting differently with molecules depending on their handedness.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026

He threaded his drive through the fairway bunkers to give himself a good look at the green.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026

Absorbed students carefully threaded wires into junction boxes to make circuits connected to lights, bulbs flickering on one by one to signal a job well done.

From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026

Salonen’s own music, much of it new to L.A., was threaded throughout.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026

Mobility, reinvention, identity: These themes are central to the American story, and, in fact, were threaded through the literature I read in Lou Volpe’s classroom.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

The results showed that magnetic fields threading through the surrounding gas can help draw protostars closer together.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 5, 2026

By threading Celan’s poems through the lived record, Ms. Arno restores a proud, wounded, flirtatious, multilingual man often romanticized by reverence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

England ended the half stronger and narrowed the gap to four points with the final action of the half, Harry Smith threading a penalty.

From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2025

For the transportation secretary, surviving Musk’s onslaught — and the administration’s ire — means threading a narrow needle.

From Salon ● Oct. 27, 2025

“I think we’re witnessing a dance battle,” she whispers, threading her fingers through mine.

From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli

Related Words

• cord
• cotton
• fiber
• filament
• hair
• ribbon
• strand
• string
• wire
• wool
• yarn