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

See Examples For:

thumbprint

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

Kid Soul: Put a thumbprint on your time.

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

BBC News has seen a confession, written in Arabic, which Manuel says he was forced to thumbprint without the presence of a lawyer or the aid of a translator.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2024

It was from a thumb, it turned out, and no other thumbprint would look just like it.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

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