Thoreau

American  

[thuh-roh, thawr-oh, thohr-oh] / θəˈroʊ, ˈθɔr oʊ, ˈθoʊr oʊ /

noun

1. Henry David, 1817–62, U.S. naturalist and author.

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Thoreau British  

/ ˈθɔːrəʊ, θɔːˈrəʊ /

noun

1. Henry David. 1817–62, US writer, noted esp for Walden, or Life in the Woods (1854), an account of his experiment in living in solitude. A powerful social critic, his essay Civil Disobedience (1849) influenced such dissenters as Gandhi

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Other Word Forms

• Thoreauvian
  adjective

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Thoreau

When Thoreau visited the scene a few days later, he “found women who had already altered the gowns of the passengers—presumably including Fuller’s—that their husbands and sons had stolen from the beach.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

When most people think of the foundational figures in American environmentalism, they likely conjure up such wistful white Transcendentalists as Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Louisa May Alcott.

From Salon ● Jun. 19, 2026

None shines brighter than the “Wellfleet Oysterman,” to whom Thoreau devotes an entire glorious chapter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026

Thoreau believed slavery was morally reprehensible, and refused to pay a poll tax supporting the government that allowed it.

From Barron's ● Apr. 14, 2026

“Now, Thoreau, this could only be a rumor. Just because it is in print, doesn’t mean it’s true. Before you get excited, sit still and listen.”

From "My Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George