thumb [ thuhm ] SHOW IPA
/ θʌm / PHONETIC RESPELLING
noun the short, thick, inner digit of the human hand, next to the forefinger.
the corresponding digit in other animals; pollex.
the part of a glove or mitten for containing this digit.
Architecture . an ovolo or echinus molding.
SEE MORE SEE LESS verb (used with object) to soil or wear with the thumbs in handling, as the pages of a book.
to glance through (the pages of a book, leaflet, etc.) quickly.
to play (a guitar or other instrument) with or as with the thumbs.
(of a hitchhiker) to solicit or get (a ride) by pointing the thumb in the desired direction of travel.
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Question 1 of 7
The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.
Idioms for thumball thumbs , awkward; clumsy; bungling: The visitor almost knocked over a vase and seemed to be all thumbs.
thumb one's nose , to put one's thumb to one's nose and extend the fingers as a crudely defiant or contemptuous gesture. to express defiance or contempt; dismiss or reject contemptuously. thumbs down , a gesture or expression of dissent or disapproval: We turned thumbs down to that suggestion.
thumbs up , a gesture or expression of assent or approval.
under one's thumb , under the power or influence of; subordinate to. Also under the thumb of.
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Origin of thumb before 900; Middle English; Old English
thūma; cognate with Dutch
duim, Old Saxon, Old High German
dūmo (German
Daumen ), Old Norse
thumall; akin to Latin
tumēre to swell (
tumor )
OTHER WORDS FROM thumb thumbless, adjective thumblike, adjective Words nearby thumb thuggee ,
thuja ,
Thule ,
thulia ,
thulium ,
thumb ,
thumb a ride ,
thumb drive ,
thumber ,
thumb forceps ,
thumb glass Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for thumb It was possible to pinch your thumb and forefinger together for a button press or rub the two fingers together to spin a dial.
Six feet is a good rule of thumb for reducing the risk of getting infected, and there are ways to make sure people stay that far apart.
Adding up all those costs, drawing on the latest research, the report comes up with with a total externalities cost of between $800 and $1,400 per tonne, with “at least $1,000” used as a reasonable rule of thumb .
It differentiates between products and services and uses a binary thumb s up or down system like Facebook, rather than a point or star-ratings system like Google.
Linking to your other blog posts from a relating one has become a rule of thumb in writing blog posts.
And considering his massive music-industry thumb print, that “you oughta know” Jack Antonoff is an understatement.
Pete stuck his thumb out at the age of 17 and hitch hiked out of Birmingham, England.
The Flip-a-District project is a clown-gloved thumb on the scale.
In the meantime, certain rules of thumb about drone use are self-evident.
He had only one tooth, and he ate by using his thumb as a second incisor.
Many persons impede their execution by not keeping the thumb independent enough of the rest of the hand.
Willis introduced into his organs pneumatic thumb -pistons about the year 1851.
He held the pin delicately between finger and thumb , and controlled her with his roguish eyes.
He turned pages with a moistened thumb , took a pencil out of his pocket, passed both to the passengers of the roadster.
And he jerked his thumb towards the tower where mademoiselle was a captive, and where at night "Battista" was locked in with her.
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noun the first and usually shortest and thickest of the digits of the hand, composed of two short bones Technical name: pollex Related adjective: pollical
the corresponding digit in other vertebrates
the part of a glove shaped to fit the thumb
architect another name for ovolo all thumbs clumsy
thumbs down an indication of refusal, disapproval, or negation he gave the thumbs down on our proposal
thumbs up an indication of encouragement, approval, or acceptance
under someone's thumb at someone's mercy or command
SEE MORE SEE LESS verb (tr) to touch, mark, or move with the thumb
to attempt to obtain (a lift or ride) by signalling with the thumb
(when intr, often foll by through ) to flip the pages of (a book, magazine, etc) perfunctorily in order to glance at the contents
thumb one's nose at to deride or mock, esp by placing the thumb on the nose with fingers extended
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Derived forms of thumb thumbless , adjective thumblike , adjective Word Origin for thumb Old English thūma; related to Old Saxon thūma, Old High German thūmo, Old Norse thumall thumb of a glove, Latin tumēre to swell
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
n. The short thick digit of the human hand, next to the index finger and opposable to each of the other four digits.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
In addition to the idioms beginning with thumb
thumb a ride thumb one's nose thumbs up also see:
all thumbs green thumb rule of thumb stick out (like a sore thumb) twiddle one's thumbs under someone's thumb SEE MORE ORIGINS SEE FEWER ORIGINS
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.