thumbprint

American  

[thuhm-print] / ˈθʌmˌprɪnt /

noun

1. a mark or impression of the ventral surface of the last joint of the thumb.

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thumbprint British  

/ ˈθʌmˌprɪnt /

noun

1. an impression of the upper part of the thumb, used esp for identification purposes See fingerprint

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Etymology

Origin of thumbprint

First recorded in 1895–1900; thumb + print

Example Sentences

These versions are also much larger: while an O’Ryan’s potato is about the size of a thumbprint, See’s can stretch up to three inches long.

From Salon • Mar. 17, 2026

If this is your era, put a thumbprint on it.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2025

In these postwar decades, Cowley’s thumbprint seemed to be on everything.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025

That thumbprint made at Stalag 8b inspired Jacqueline to search for more answers in a Facebook group for relatives of prisoners of war.

From BBC • Nov. 9, 2024

On each agent’s forehead was a distinctive purple thumbprint.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

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