Tom Thumb

American  

noun

1. a diminutive hero of folk tales.

2. an extremely small person; dwarf.

3. General, nickname of Charles Sherwood Stratton.

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Tom Thumb British  

noun

1. General, stage name of Charles Stratton. 1838–83, US midget, exhibited in P. T. Barnum's circus

2. a dwarf; midget

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Tom Thumb Cultural  

1. A thumb-sized hero of children's stories from the sixteenth century on.

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Etymology

Origin of Tom Thumb

after Tom Thumb, the tiny hero of several English folk tales

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Tom Thumb

Ishika Santosh Wade did most of her grocery shopping at Texas supermarket chain Tom Thumb, owned by Albertsons, until inflation soared in 2022.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026

Tom Thumb: Most stores will have adjusted hours.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 20, 2023

Tom Thumb, Chang and Eng, even animal acts like Jumbo the elephant.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 18, 2019

My heart broke for Haydon, especially since I know, with zero doubt, that if given the choice, I’d have gone to see Tom Thumb.

From New York Times ● Jul. 26, 2018

Ladies and gentlemen; we have little Tom Thumb inside.

From Sawdust & Spangles Stories & Secrets of the Circus by W. C. Coup

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Related Words

• gnome
• goblin
• gremlin
• hobgoblin
• troll

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