thick
Americanadjective
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thicker,
comparative
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thickest
superlative
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having relatively great extent from one surface or side to the opposite; not thin.
a thick slice.
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measured, as specified, between opposite surfaces, from top to bottom, or in a direction perpendicular to that of the length and breadth; (of a solid having three general dimensions) measured across its smallest dimension.
a board one inch thick.
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composed of or containing objects, particles, etc., close together; dense: a thick forest.
a thick fog;
a thick forest.
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filled, covered, or abounding (usually followed bywith ).
tables thick with dust.
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husky or hoarse; not distinctly articulated.
The patient's speech is still quite thick.
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markedly so (as specified).
a thick German accent.
- Synonyms:
- decided, pronounced, strong
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deep or profound.
thick darkness.
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(of a liquid) heavy or viscous.
a thick syrup.
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Informal. close in friendship; intimate.
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disagreeably excessive or exaggerated.
They thought it a bit thick when he called himself a genius.
adverb
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in a thick manner.
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close together; closely packed.
The roses grew thick along the path.
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in a manner to produce something thick.
Slice the cheese thick.
noun
idioms
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lay it on thick, to praise excessively; flatter.
He's laying it on thick because he wants you to do him a favor.
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through thick and thin, under favorable and unfavorable conditions; steadfastly.
We have been friends for 20 years, through thick and thin.
adjective
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of relatively great extent from one surface to the other; fat, broad, or deep
a thick slice of bread
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(postpositive) of specific fatness
ten centimetres thick
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( in combination )
a six-inch-thick wall
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having a relatively dense consistency; not transparent
thick soup
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abundantly covered or filled
a piano thick with dust
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impenetrable; dense
a thick fog
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stupid, slow, or insensitive
a thick person
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throaty or badly articulated
a voice thick with emotion
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(of accents, etc) pronounced
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informal very friendly (esp in the phrase thick as thieves )
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unfair or excessive
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informal a blow on the ear delivered as punishment, in anger, etc
adverb
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in order to produce something thick
to slice bread thick
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profusely; in quick succession (esp in the phrase thick and fast )
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informal
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to exaggerate a story, statement, etc
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to flatter excessively
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noun
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a thick piece or part
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the busiest or most intense part
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in good times and bad
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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overthicknessnoun
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unthicknessnoun
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overthickadjective
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superthickadjective
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thickishadjective
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unthickadjective
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overthicklyadverb
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thicklyadverb
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unthicklyadverb
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of thick
First recorded before 900; (adjective and adverb) Middle English thikke, Old English thicce; cognate with Dutch dik, German dick; akin to Old Norse thykkr (noun) Middle English, derivative of the adj.
Explanation
When something's thick, it's wide from one side to the other, like a thick piece of French toast or a thick layer of snow on your car. Thick things are broad or bulky or decidedly not thin — think of the thick slab of ice you need in order to skate safely on a lake. Thick can also mean "dense," like a thick chocolate milkshake, or your sister's thick, curly hair. If the kid who sits beside you in math class sees your test grade and calls you thick, it's not a compliment: she means you're not very smart.
Vocabulary lists containing thick
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:
With the boll weevil finishing off King Cotton, paper producers’ “plant ’em thick, cut ’em quick” approach spread.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Footage shared by the country's prime minister office shows soliders carrying survivors and crawling across thick slates of mud to reach others.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
Ridley Scott keeps looking down while we’re talking, a thick marker in his hand.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
The newly separated tabular iceberg broke away from Petermann Glacier's floating ice tongue and may be as much as 150 meters thick.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026
She dragged a thick duffel bag out onto the step.
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
"When we measure the gravitational acceleration over the rock glacier, we see a larger decrease in that gravitational acceleration as we make measurements over areas with thicker ice."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026
She explains that thicker straps are a safer option where the dress code is unclear and recommends satin camisoles as a more polished alternative to basic cotton vests.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
For larger or thicker cubes, briefly cook the pancetta in a skillet before adding it to the tarts.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
Long cables must be thicker to compensate for the current over a longer distance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
His lines of the mixture were thicker, wider than mine.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
"Rocks with the right chemistry for enrichment occur only in very specific places, mainly along the steep edges of Earth's thickest and oldest lithosphere."
From Science Daily ● May 26, 2026
In his 30 years at Nike, Bignell has helped lead the development of some of the sneaker giant’s most cutting-edge running shoes, including the Vomero Premium, which features one of the market’s thickest, most-cushioned soles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
Next, add thickest pieces of seafood, saving shrimp for last as they need the least amount of cook time.
From Salon ● Mar. 14, 2025
In addition to myriad dining and shopping options that are thickest where Washington, Culver and Venice boulevards intersect, there are also a few pieces of walk-by Hollywood history.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 8, 2024
The overgrowth gradually gave way to a thin layer of the oldest, thickest vines.
From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt
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.
