thimble

American  

[thim-buhl] / ˈθɪm bəl /

noun

• thimbles
  plural

1. a small cap, usually of metal, worn over the fingertip to protect it when pushing a needle through cloth in sewing.

2. Mechanics. any of various similar devices or attachments.

3. Nautical. a metal ring with a concave groove on the outside, used to line the outside of a ring of rope forming an eye.

4. a sleeve of sheet metal passing through the wall of a chimney, for holding the end of a stovepipe or the like.

5. a thimble-shaped printing element with raised characters on the exterior: used in a type of electronic typewriter or computer printer thimbleprinter.

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thimble British  

/ ˈθɪmbəl /

noun

1. a cap of metal, plastic, etc, used to protect the end of the finger when sewing

2. any small metal cap resembling this

3. nautical a loop of metal having a groove at its outer edge for a rope or cable, for lining the inside of an eye

4. short for thimbleful

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• thimblelike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• thimbles
  plural

Etymology

Origin of thimble

before 1000; Middle English thym ( b ) yl, Old English thȳmel; akin to Old Norse thumall thumb of a glove. See thumb, -le

Explanation

A thimble is a device that protects your fingertips from being pricked by a needle. It's a good idea to use a thimble when you're sewing by hand. When you sew with a needle and thread, you can wear a thimble on whichever finger you tend to use for pushing the needle through the cloth. Most thimbles are made of metal (originally they were made from leather) and fit like a small cup over your fingertip. The word thimble shares a root with the word thumb.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

thimble thimbles

A piece of Fern’s called out societal expectations that a woman “unobtrusively gather up her thimble and, retiring into some out-of-the-way place, gradually scoop out her coffin with it.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 27, 2026

Pixar’s “Wall-E” is mirrored in recent refuse-collecting robots, and wireless ear buds work much like the thimble radios in “Fahrenheit 451.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2024

Next to that, Charlotte's pudge paranoia is a thimble of that bone broth she forlornly sucks down in her quick weight-loss quest.

From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2023

NIF drew headlines in 2022 when it produced more energy from the thimble than the lasers put in, a milestone relevant to civilian efforts to generate fusion power.

From Science Magazine ● Apr. 20, 2023

I don’t know the number of times I’d have to climb that tree and get my mother’s scissors, buttons, needles, and thimble from his den.

From "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls

I passed out thimbles of sake I brought to share and noticed a woman sitting next to Alex.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2025

Musicians shouted and whispered in addition to playing their instruments, from which they drew eerie sounds by bowing on the underside of the strings and wearing thimbles on their fingers.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 8, 2022

They also recorded snap times when fingers were covered in various materials, such as thimbles, latex gloves, or lotion, to study the role of friction.

From Science Magazine ● Nov. 16, 2021

Above all, the gift shop looms large, hawking Mozart pencils, key chains, perfumes, playing cards, paper napkins, thimbles, miniature busts, chocolates, golf balls and snap-on cases for cellphones.

From New York Times ● Jul. 20, 2016

“They should have given you your mother’s name,” she said, taking the pouch of needles, thread, and thimbles from me.

From "Krik? Krak!" by Edwidge Danticat