thickness
Americannoun
-
the state or quality of being thick
-
the dimension through an object, as opposed to length or width
-
a layer of something
-
a thick part
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of thickness
before 900; Middle English thiknesse, Old English thicnes. See thick, -ness
Explanation
The word thickness refers to the distance between the sides of an object, or how dense and solid something feels — like the weight of a cozy blanket or the richness of a creamy soup. Thickness can refer to the physical width of an item, like the thickness of a book or a slice of bread. It can also describe the concentration of a substance, such as the thickness of paint on a wall. Thickness can even describe something’s heaviness or sturdiness, like the solid weight of a durable winter coat.
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:
These bubbles are only about 1 to 10% the thickness of a human hair.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
The Samsung Galaxy Fold 8 is just 201 grams, with a thickness of 9.7 millimeters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
This blood letting can be an effective way to reduce the thickness of the blood.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
Reducing the polymer film thickness increased the number of locations where droplets could form, while thermal treatment made it easier for those droplets to leave the surface.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026
Their thickness and thinness spoke of hard years of bitter struggle intermingled with rich years of sudden growth.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
Earlier versions of such gratings, made from materials like silicon or gallium compounds, required thicknesses of several hundred nanometers to function effectively.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 5, 2026
Norwegian surveys have proven crust deposits with thicknesses of up to 40 centimetres.
From Reuters ● Sep. 14, 2023
There are different curl patterns, porosity, and thicknesses of hair.
From National Geographic ● Aug. 22, 2023
The team then tested the stability of the lava under a range of speeds, viscosities, and layer thicknesses.
From Science Magazine ● Jun. 9, 2023
This pile of paper doesn’t stack together very well—pages and pages of different widths and lengths and thicknesses.
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
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.
