thimbleful

[thim-buh l-foo l]

noun, plural thim·ble·fuls.

the amount that a thimble will hold.

a small quantity, especially of liquid.

Origin of thimbleful

First recorded in 1600–10; thimble + -ful

Usage note

See -ful.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for thimbleful

Contemporary Examples of thimbleful

Even more important, I got in my thimbleful of quality time with the man himself.
Russell Brand: Not Quite a Messiah
James Poulos
October 28, 2013

Historical Examples of thimbleful

Then, she asked for a thimbleful of brandy, drank it, and slowly wiped her lips.
L'Assommoir
Emile Zola
You have looked over this thimbleful of a house, and I hope it has pleased you.
A Young Mutineer
Mrs. L. T. Meade
She was about to take a thimbleful of rum as a solace for having her rest disturbed.
Cabbages and Kings
O. Henry
A thimbleful to moisten our tongues would have been worth its bulk in gold.
Salt Water
W. H. G. Kingston
Tim suggested that a thimbleful of rum would be mighty pleasant.
The Three Admirals
W.H.G. Kingston

British Dictionary definitions for thimbleful

thimbleful

noun

a very small amount, esp of a liquid

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012