thigh
Americannoun
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thighs
plural
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the part of the lower limb in humans between the hip and the knee.
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the corresponding part of the hind limb of other animals; the femoral region.
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(in birds)
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the true femoral region that is hidden by the skin or feathers of the body.
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the segment below, containing the fibula and tibia.
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Entomology. the femur.
noun
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the part of the leg between the hip and the knee in man
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the corresponding part in other vertebrates and insects
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of thigh
before 900; Middle English thi, thigh ( e ), the ( h ), Old English thīoh, thēoh; cognate with Dutch dij, Old High German dioh, Old Norse thjō
Explanation
Your thigh is the part of your leg between your hip and your knee. Your thighs are probably the strongest parts of your body. Humans' thighs have just one extremely strong bone, the femur, and many muscles, including the hamstrings and quadriceps. Your thigh is joined to your torsos with a ball-and-socket hip joint, and to your lower leg by the hinge joint of a knee. The word thigh comes from a Germanic source that means "the thick or fat part of the leg."
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:
Dembele limped off with a left thigh injury while Marquinhos injured his right thigh.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
Liverpool duo Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak have both picked up injuries with Gakpo withdrawing from the Netherlands squad with an ankle injury and Isak pulling out of Sweden duty with a minor thigh injury.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
The study found that people taking the drug lost about two-thirds to three-quarters less thigh muscle than those taking semaglutide alone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
Among patients 66 and older, demand for breast augmentations, tummy tucks, arm lifts, thigh lifts and facelifts all increased by double digits.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 5, 2026
Aunt Florentine patted on her thigh for effect.
From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
For chicken soup, I roast thighs on a bed of onion, garlic, carrot and celery with big lemon slices, garlic powder, onion powder and plenty of black pepper.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
Baugh, a Heisman candidate with tree-trunk thighs, carried the ball into the end zone following a block from tight end Lacota Dippre that knocked a defender straight to the ground and opened up the lane.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
Although semaglutide is widely used, a key issue with the drug is that it needs to be injected into the belly, thighs or back of the arm.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 8, 2026
She clutches her thighs, then her chair, crying and occasionally looking up at the sky, as if searching for answers.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
His breathing was shaky, but when Jam joined him, it steadied a little, and eventually he sat upright, his hands knotted together against his thighs.
From "Pet" by Akwaeke Emezi
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
