thimble

American  

[thim-buhl] / ˈθɪm bəl /

noun

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

• thimblelike adjective

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

Example Sentences

For all its suffocating air of unease, “Keeper” is as deep as a thimble, having little to say about relationships, toxic men or anything else.

From Los Angeles Times

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

From Los Angeles Times

She recently helped assess a silver thimble found in a field in Flintshire by metal detectorists which was then declared treasure.

From BBC

It’s fun to do the research, figure out what everything is, because I have all sorts of objects, like fossils and minerals and Avon thimbles from the ’80s and Japanese toys from the ’60s.

From Los Angeles Times

Behind them stood their mounts, Arabian stallions—faster than dust devils and nimbler than Athena’s thimble.

From Literature