thinner

¹

[thin-er]

noun

1. a volatile liquid, as turpentine, used to dilute paint, varnish, rubber cement, etc., to the desired or proper consistency.

2. a person who adds thinners to paints, varnishes, etc.

3. a person who specializes in weeding plants, pruning shrubbery, thinning fruit, etc.

thinner

²

[thin-er]

adjective

1. comparative of thin.

thinner

/ ˈθɪnə /

noun

1. (often plural, functioning as singular) a solvent, such as turpentine, added to paint or varnish to dilute it, reduce its opacity or viscosity, or increase its penetration into the ground

Word History and Origins

Origin of thinner¹

First recorded in 1825–35; thin + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Beef costs, the subject of a Justice Department investigation, have also risen rapidly this year—although thinner herds and strong demand have helped fuel that surge.

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But streams of data are thinner, Rajnarayanan noted, and more delayed because of the shutdown.

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Treasury and stocks markets closed Thursday for Thanksgiving, liquidity will be thinner into the weekend, with the dollar potentially stabilizing after this week’s falls, ING’s Francesco Pesole says in a note.

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You can always make it thinner by adding more liquid, trying to make your sauce thicker is a much different and harder battle.

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They mark the second round of discounts that the agency has secured, after CMS last year negotiated lower prices for 10 drugs including widely used blood thinner Eliquis.

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Related Words

• delicate 
• fragile 
• gaunt 
• lean 
• meager 
• narrow 
• skinny 
• slim 
• small