thumb
Americannoun
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thumbs
plural
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the short, thick, inner digit of the human hand, next to the forefinger.
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the corresponding digit in other animals; pollex.
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the part of a glove or mitten for containing this digit.
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Architecture. an ovolo or echinus molding.
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something, such as a geographical feature, that resembles a thumb.
verb (used with object)
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thumbs,
present (3rd person singular)
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thumbed,
past participle, past
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thumbing
present participle
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to soil or wear with the thumbs in handling, as the pages of a book.
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to glance through (the pages of a book, leaflet, etc.) quickly.
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to play (a guitar or other instrument) with or as with the thumbs.
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(of a hitchhiker) to solicit or get (a ride) by pointing the thumb in the desired direction of travel.
idioms
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thumbs up, a gesture or expression of assent or approval.
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under one's thumb, under the power or influence of; subordinate to. Also under the thumb of.
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thumb one's nose,
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to put one's thumb to one's nose and extend the fingers as a crudely defiant or contemptuous gesture.
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to express defiance or contempt; dismiss or reject contemptuously.
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thumbs down, a gesture or expression of dissent or disapproval.
We turned thumbs down to that suggestion.
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all thumbs, awkward; clumsy; bungling.
The visitor almost knocked over a vase and seemed to be all thumbs.
noun
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Technical name: pollex. the first and usually shortest and thickest of the digits of the hand, composed of two short bones
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the corresponding digit in other vertebrates
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the part of a glove shaped to fit the thumb
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architect another name for ovolo
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clumsy
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an indication of refusal, disapproval, or negation
he gave the thumbs down on our proposal
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an indication of encouragement, approval, or acceptance
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at someone's mercy or command
verb
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(tr) to touch, mark, or move with the thumb
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to attempt to obtain (a lift or ride) by signalling with the thumb
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to flip the pages of (a book, magazine, etc) perfunctorily in order to glance at the contents
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to deride or mock, esp by placing the thumb on the nose with fingers extended
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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thumbsimple
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thumbssimple
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have thumbedperfect
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has thumbedperfect
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am thumbingprogressive
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are thumbingprogressive
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is thumbingprogressive
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have been thumbingperfect progressive
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has been thumbingperfect progressive
Past
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thumbedsimple
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had thumbedperfect
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was thumbingprogressive
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were thumbingprogressive
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had been thumbingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
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 )
Explanation
Your thumb is the fifth digit on your hand, the one that doesn't quite match your fingers. Thumbs help us grip objects with care and precision — it would be difficult to hold chopsticks without a thumb. Humans are more dextrous than our closest primate relatives because of our nimble thumbs. They're opposable, so we can move them forward and touch them to our fingers. Some monkeys share this trait, and they're the best able to use primitive tools. Your thumbs make it possible for you to brush your teeth, write with a pen, and snap. You can also thumb through the pages of a book — in other words, turn each page with your thumb.
Vocabulary lists containing thumb
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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:
Even after recognizing other financial benefits of ownership, such as a tax code that puts a thumb on the scale toward buying, opportunity cost makes the returns to homeownership considerably less spectacular.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
For physical illness, Tang says there are some well-established rules of thumb.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Linebacker Nate Landman sustained shoulder and thumb injuries, but McVay said he is expected to play against the Giants.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
This should amount to significantly more than the 15% to 20% rule of thumb generally used for retirement savings.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
He kept flicking at the spark-wheel, pressing so hard he could feel it cutting into his thumb.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
A 10-second video of the press yelling at McConnell to speak or give a thumbs up — with seemingly zero response from the senator — has gone viral.
From Salon ● Sep. 17, 2026
Now she got her thumbs underneath the tape.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
Hispanics gave them the thumbs down, 69% to 31%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
As he walked in to court, he refused to answer questions but gave a thumbs up and said: "Wish me luck guys. See you soon, hopefully."
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
It rebounded on the balls of Mulch’s thumbs and ricocheted back into the goblin’s head.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
He has largely thumbed his nose at them over the Epstein files.
From Salon ● Mar. 29, 2026
In October, I thumbed through snapshots my mother had stashed in albums, envelopes and shoeboxes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025
As they thumbed through the vinyl records, one of the preteens said, “Dad, what’s that?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 28, 2025
McCartney was surrounded by an assortment of espionage books that event workers thumbed through during less bustling moments.
From New York Times ● Jun. 18, 2024
Yossarian thumbed his nose at Major Danby and laughed with smug elation.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
The speed of that reversal makes it tempting to see the latest ruling as a district judge thumbing her nose at the high court.
From Slate ● Aug. 31, 2026
If you are thumbing through the brochure/paperwork, it will be there in black and white.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 24, 2026
And arm yourself with simple pantry staples that you can graze on lazily, ideally while peeling a clementine and thumbing a paperback.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 8, 2026
He points out that engineers are no different from the rest of us when it comes to thumbing through a manual.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2024
While thumbing toward the Bible section, I came across a list of phobias arranged into various classifications.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
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.
