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• thumbs-up
  thumbs-up

  noun

  an act, instance, or gesture of assent, approval, or the like.
• thumbs up
  thumbs up

  Expressions of approval and disapproval respectively: “The two critics disagreed about the movie; one gave it thumbs up, the other thumbs down.” In the gladiatorial contests of ancient Rome, a thumbs-up gesture from the crowd meant that the loser would live; thumbs down meant death.

thumbs-up

American  

[thuhmz-uhp] / ˈθʌmzˈʌp /

noun

Informal.

thumbs-ups plural

1. an act, instance, or gesture of assent, approval, or the like.

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thumbs up Cultural  

1. Expressions of approval and disapproval respectively: “The two critics disagreed about the movie; one gave it thumbs up, the other thumbs down.” In the gladiatorial contests of ancient Rome, a thumbs-up gesture from the crowd meant that the loser would live; thumbs down meant death.

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thumbs up Idioms  

1. An expression of approval or hopefulness, as in The town said thumbs up on building the elderly housing project. The antonym thumbs down indicates disapproval or rejection, as in Mother gave us thumbs down on serving beer at our party. Alluding to crowd signals used in Roman amphitheaters, these idioms were first recorded in English about 1600. In ancient times the meaning of the gestures was opposite that of today. Thumbs down indicated approval; thumbs up, rejection. Exactly when the reversal occurred is not known, but the present conventions were established by the early 1900s.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• thumbs-ups
  plural

Etymology

Origin of thumbs-up

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

thumbs-up thumbs up thumbs-ups

Earlier this year, SpaceX’s request for a smaller expansion was given the thumbs-up.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026

Some stopped him for pictures as he beamed down the camera and flashed a thumbs-up.

From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026

Margarita Aaron, the actor’s wife, told Fox News and TMZ on Monday that her husband is “making significant progress” in his recovery, making minor body movements including opening his eyes and giving a thumbs-up.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 27, 2026

Want its thumbs-up for a CEO’s pay package?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 14, 2025

She tapped the green sheet and smiled, tossing Ivy a thumbs-up.

From "Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World" by Ashley Herring Blake

Jones was in the arena conducting an interview with the Netflix broadcast team when he received the challenge and gave a thumbs up amid the crowd’s cheers.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 17, 2026

After the hearing, Hill smiled to journalists and gave thumbs up.

From BBC ● Apr. 6, 2026

But in the video itself, the signs on Croydon's North End are in English, the cyclist has no balaclava and Caz is giving him the thumbs up after a friendly chat.

From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2026

“Why in the world would we give a seal of approval or a thumbs up to make you the largest behemoth on the planet related to content?”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 2026

I know you’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover—and probably not by its title, either—but I instantly want to give it 2 thumbs up or 5 stars.

From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty

I get thumbs-ups from Mustang drivers and cool head nods from Challenger owners.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026

Along with 31 thumbs-ups, eight angry faces and several other emojis, the post got 24 comments.

From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2025

At last, I’ll be able to see everyone’s hearts and thumbs-ups.

From Slate ● Mar. 18, 2023

Driving a vehicle that garners that level of attention means lots of nods, thumbs-ups, and the brief conversation after parking in a public lot.

From The Verge ● Aug. 8, 2022

She smiles, gives me two thumbs-ups and a look that says, you got this.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith