thumb

[thuhm]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR thumb ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

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.

Idioms

all 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.

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)

Related formsthumb·less, adjectivethumb·like, adjective

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

Related Words for thumb

claw, hook, feel, advise, greet, address, employ, shape, wield, handle, lick, pat, rub, tap, reach, stroke, caress, brush, kiss, strike

Examples from the Web for thumb

Contemporary Examples of thumb

Pete stuck his thumb out at the age of 17 and hitch hiked out of Birmingham, England.
London’s Pagan Counterculture Kings
Justin Jones
October 12, 2014
In the meantime, certain rules of thumb about drone use are self-evident.
Soon We’ll Be Watching Whales By Drone
Abigail Golden
August 25, 2014
He had only one tooth, and he ate by using his thumb as a second incisor.
The Stacks: The Judas Priest Teen Suicide Trial
Ivan Solotaroff
June 28, 2014
All I have been able to find is a cute picture of Spears and Garnett with two comments and 30-some thumb icons of approval.
The 'Mommy Blogger Murderess' Lie
Andy Hinds
June 19, 2014
Let me bite my lip and thrust out my thumb and confess: I did not have literary expectations of that woman, Miss Lewinsky.
The Monica Column You Least Expected
Kevin Bleyer
May 11, 2014

Historical Examples of thumb

He's under that woman's thumb, of course, and she's told him he mustn't say a word.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
The boy pointed with his thumb to the door of the cashier's office.
Thoroughbreds
W. A. Fraser
By the awkwardness of the unpacker, the statue's thumb was broken.
Tales And Novels, Volume 4 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
"All gettee out," he said, jerking his thumb in the direction of the court of mystery.
The Monster Men
Edgar Rice Burroughs
She keeps Jenkins under her thumb, just as Galloway keeps me.
The Channings
Mrs. Henry Wood

British Dictionary definitions for thumb

thumb

noun

the first and usually shortest and thickest of the digits of the hand, composed of two short bonesTechnical 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 negationhe 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

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

Derived Formsthumbless, adjectivethumblike, 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

Word Origin and History for thumb

Old English þuma, from West Germanic *thumon- (cf. Old Frisian thuma, Old Saxon, Old High German thumo, German Daumen, Dutch duim "thumb," Old Norse þumall "thumb of a glove"), literally "the stout or thick (finger)," from PIE *tum- "swell" (cf. Latin tumere "to swell," tumidus "swollen;" Avestan tuma "fat;" see thigh). For spelling with -b (attested from late 13c.), see limb.

To be under (someone's) thumb "be totally controlled by that person" is recorded from 1580s. Thumbs up (1887) and thumbs down (1906) were said to be from expressions of approval or the opposite in ancient amphitheaters, especially gladiator shows, where the gesture decided whether a defeated combatant was spared or slain. But the Roman gesture was merely one of hiding the thumb in the hand or extending it. Perhaps the modern gesture is from the usual coachmen's way of greeting while the hands are occupied with the reins.

"to go through" (especially of printed material), 1930, from thumb (n.), though the related sense of "soil or wear by handling" dates from 1640s. Meaning "to hitchhike" is 1939; originally the thumb pointed in the direction one wished to travel. Related: Thumbed; thumbing. To thumb (one's) nose as an expression of derision is recorded from 1903.

thumb in Medicine

thumb

[thŭm]

n.

The short thick digit of the human hand, next to the index finger and opposable to each of the other four digits.

Idioms and Phrases with thumb

thumb

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