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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

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Etymology

Origin of thumbs-up

First recorded in 1920–25

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

thumbs-up thumbs up thumbs-ups

Some passing drivers honked in support and gave the protesters a thumbs-up, but others gave them the middle finger.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

He was carted off the field, and gave an emotional thumbs-up to the fans—a familiar badge of courage after a career-altering injury.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

Young was able to give a thumbs-up to the crowd, however, as he was driven off.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

He entered the courtroom with a smile and a thumbs-up to the cameras but exploded with anger at the verdicts.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

Coal gave him a thumbs-up and a smirk that was meant to indicate he was getting nowhere and could everyone please not ask about it.

From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste

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

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

According to the Associated Press, Bryant flashed a thumbs up to a person in the courtroom before leaving.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 27, 2026

As one former senior official says: "Vetting is a process, not a point, it's not like a test you pass or fail - it's about managing risk, not big thumbs up or down."

From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2026

There’s a gigantic black-and-orange San Francisco Giants flag on the wall, and pictures of fun stuff like him tandem skydiving with two thumbs up.

From "The House That Lou Built" by Mae Respicio

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

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

When the jurors were discharged and Guzman stood to leave the courtroom, the couple traded thumbs-ups.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 12, 2019

The Monday after the game, everyone at school was staring at me again, but instead of suspicious glances and droopy, pitying stares, I was getting nods of admiration, thumbs-ups, and smiles.

From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan

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