thickness
Americannoun
-
the state or quality of being thick
-
the dimension through an object, as opposed to length or width
-
a layer of something
-
a thick part
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of thickness
before 900; Middle English thiknesse, Old English thicnes. See thick, -ness
Explanation
The word thickness refers to the distance between the sides of an object, or how dense and solid something feels — like the weight of a cozy blanket or the richness of a creamy soup. Thickness can refer to the physical width of an item, like the thickness of a book or a slice of bread. It can also describe the concentration of a substance, such as the thickness of paint on a wall. Thickness can even describe something’s heaviness or sturdiness, like the solid weight of a durable winter coat.
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:
It measures just 4.1 millimetres in thickness and weighs 215 grammes.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
The cognitive dissonance contributed to the thickness in the air that week.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
The team discovered that the effect depends strongly on the thickness of the metal layer.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 6, 2026
Give kids the thickness of a community of cousins, aunts, uncles and other relatives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
Though just barely substantial enough to support body weight, the rime was plastered over the rock to a thickness of two or three feet, so I kept plugging upward.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
Earlier versions of such gratings, made from materials like silicon or gallium compounds, required thicknesses of several hundred nanometers to function effectively.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 5, 2026
Norwegian surveys have proven crust deposits with thicknesses of up to 40 centimetres.
From Reuters ● Sep. 14, 2023
There are different curl patterns, porosity, and thicknesses of hair.
From National Geographic ● Aug. 22, 2023
The team then tested the stability of the lava under a range of speeds, viscosities, and layer thicknesses.
From Science Magazine ● Jun. 9, 2023
But no matter how stringent the effort, the thicknesses of middle age were encircling him and threatening to overwhelm the athlete’s body, the Marine’s body of which he was so proud.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
