green thumb

noun

1. an exceptional aptitude for gardening or for growing plants successfully:

   Houseplants provide much pleasure for the city dweller with a green thumb.

green thumb

noun

1. considerable talent or ability to grow plants Also called (in Britain and certain other countries)green fingers

green thumb

1. A knack for growing plants and keeping them healthy: “All my houseplants are in sorry shape; it's clear I don't have a green thumb.”

Other Words From

• green-thumbed adjective
• green-thumber noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of green thumb¹

First recorded in 1940–45

Idioms and Phrases

A knack for making plants grow well, as in Just look at Louise's plants—she really has a green thumb . This term presumably alludes to the stained fingers of an avid gardener. [First half of 1900s]

Example Sentences

We’ve got painters, builders, rock climbers, musicians, board-game aficionados, green thumbs.

From Outside Online

My dad has always had a green thumb, but it definitely skipped a generation.

From Popular-Science

It could be building raised garden beds outside if you have a green thumb and enjoy watching things grow.

From Washington Blade

Whether you’re in an office or a porch, keeping a plant alive doesn’t always come down to your green thumb.

From Popular-Science

Much of this intelligence should be of the "green thumb" variety, a mixture of common sense and keen observation.

From Project Gutenberg

But unfortunately several of the farm nut tree plantings I have seen show a woeful lack of "green thumb" intelligence.

From Project Gutenberg

Clearly it was one thing to build a machine with a superhuman work potential, but quite another to build one with a green thumb.

From Project Gutenberg