thumb
Americannoun
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thumbs
plural
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the short, thick, inner digit of the human hand, next to the forefinger.
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the corresponding digit in other animals; pollex.
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the part of a glove or mitten for containing this digit.
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Architecture. an ovolo or echinus molding.
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something, such as a geographical feature, that resembles a thumb.
verb (used with object)
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thumbs,
present (3rd person singular)
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thumbed,
past participle, past
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thumbing
present participle
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to soil or wear with the thumbs in handling, as the pages of a book.
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to glance through (the pages of a book, leaflet, etc.) quickly.
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to play (a guitar or other instrument) with or as with the thumbs.
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(of a hitchhiker) to solicit or get (a ride) by pointing the thumb in the desired direction of travel.
idioms
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thumbs up, a gesture or expression of assent or approval.
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under one's thumb, under the power or influence of; subordinate to. Also under the thumb of.
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thumb one's nose,
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to put one's thumb to one's nose and extend the fingers as a crudely defiant or contemptuous gesture.
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to express defiance or contempt; dismiss or reject contemptuously.
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thumbs down, a gesture or expression of dissent or disapproval.
We turned thumbs down to that suggestion.
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all thumbs, awkward; clumsy; bungling.
The visitor almost knocked over a vase and seemed to be all thumbs.
noun
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Technical name: pollex. the first and usually shortest and thickest of the digits of the hand, composed of two short bones
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the corresponding digit in other vertebrates
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the part of a glove shaped to fit the thumb
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architect another name for ovolo
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clumsy
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an indication of refusal, disapproval, or negation
he gave the thumbs down on our proposal
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an indication of encouragement, approval, or acceptance
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at someone's mercy or command
verb
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(tr) to touch, mark, or move with the thumb
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to attempt to obtain (a lift or ride) by signalling with the thumb
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to flip the pages of (a book, magazine, etc) perfunctorily in order to glance at the contents
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to deride or mock, esp by placing the thumb on the nose with fingers extended
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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thumbsimple
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thumbssimple
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have thumbedperfect
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has thumbedperfect
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am thumbingprogressive
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are thumbingprogressive
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is thumbingprogressive
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have been thumbingperfect progressive
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has been thumbingperfect progressive
Past
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thumbedsimple
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had thumbedperfect
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was thumbingprogressive
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were thumbingprogressive
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had been thumbingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of thumb
before 900; Middle English; Old English thūma; cognate with Dutch duim, Old Saxon, Old High German dūmo ( German Daumen ), Old Norse thumall; akin to Latin tumēre to swell ( tumor )
Explanation
Your thumb is the fifth digit on your hand, the one that doesn't quite match your fingers. Thumbs help us grip objects with care and precision — it would be difficult to hold chopsticks without a thumb. Humans are more dextrous than our closest primate relatives because of our nimble thumbs. They're opposable, so we can move them forward and touch them to our fingers. Some monkeys share this trait, and they're the best able to use primitive tools. Your thumbs make it possible for you to brush your teeth, write with a pen, and snap. You can also thumb through the pages of a book — in other words, turn each page with your thumb.
Vocabulary lists containing thumb
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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.
See Examples For:
Here’s a simple rule of thumb for assessing all these claims: None of them is true.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
"In Spain, they really appreciate my IQ and quality because at Barca, if you're not technical, if you're not smart, you're going to stand out like a sore thumb."
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
Thom Bettridge, an editor and writer in New York, has a rule of thumb: he only buys gifts that are smaller than a breadbox, to minimize the space that they take up in hosts’ homes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
One planner’s rule of thumb is to skip net unrealized appreciation on any shares with a basis above 20 cents on the dollar.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
I touch my chin with my thumb and move my hand forward in two small arches to signify the word Grandma.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
A 10-second video of the press yelling at McConnell to speak or give a thumbs up — with seemingly zero response from the senator — has gone viral.
From Salon ● Sep. 17, 2026
Now she got her thumbs underneath the tape.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
Hispanics gave them the thumbs down, 69% to 31%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
On Tuesday afternoon, Harry smiled and gave a thumbs up to crowds as he stepped into his car following an Invictus Games event.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
I batted my eyelashes and twirled around and made fists with my thumbs out, the way girls do.
From "Crash" by Jerry Spinelli
Valerie’s career is a long curtsy to declining standards and compromises; her 2014 journey thumbed its nose at the town’s prestige-chasing.
From Salon ● Mar. 26, 2026
In October, I thumbed through snapshots my mother had stashed in albums, envelopes and shoeboxes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025
As they thumbed through the vinyl records, one of the preteens said, “Dad, what’s that?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 28, 2025
Most do not put their content online; this is journalism meant to be thumbed through, not swiped past.
From New York Times ● Jun. 16, 2024
All through the fall, I thumbed over to War every Sunday afternoon so Dorothy and I could work on plane geometry.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
Those, however, were much more quotidian in nature—slices of pie, humble shoes—and circumvented the traditional gallery-to-collector pipeline, with Oldenburg thumbing his nose at the commercialized art establishment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
“Huge worlds are in, you know, those two blocks. Huge,” he said while thumbing through sepia-toned family photos.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
The speed of that reversal makes it tempting to see the latest ruling as a district judge thumbing her nose at the high court.
From Slate ● Aug. 31, 2026
If you are thumbing through the brochure/paperwork, it will be there in black and white.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 24, 2026
He told about thumbing a ride to Bluefield, and, when he got there, going up to a gas station attendant and asking which way to the ballpark.
From "Maniac Magee" by Jerry Spinelli
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
