thumbs-up

American  

[thuhmz-uhp] / ˈθʌmzˈʌp /

noun

Informal.

1. an act, instance, or gesture of assent, approval, or the like.

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thumbs up Cultural  

1. Expressions of approval and disapproval respectively: “The two critics disagreed about the movie; one gave it thumbs up, the other thumbs down.” In the gladiatorial contests of ancient Rome, a thumbs-up gesture from the crowd meant that the loser would live; thumbs down meant death.

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thumbs up Idioms  

1. An expression of approval or hopefulness, as in The town said thumbs up on building the elderly housing project. The antonym thumbs down indicates disapproval or rejection, as in Mother gave us thumbs down on serving beer at our party. Alluding to crowd signals used in Roman amphitheaters, these idioms were first recorded in English about 1600. In ancient times the meaning of the gestures was opposite that of today. Thumbs down indicated approval; thumbs up, rejection. Exactly when the reversal occurred is not known, but the present conventions were established by the early 1900s.

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Etymology

Origin of thumbs-up

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

"How was the route, guys?" a man asked in one clip, as someone at the back of the lorry gave a thumbs-up.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

Margarita Aaron, the actor’s wife, told Fox News and TMZ on Monday that her husband is “making significant progress” in his recovery, making minor body movements including opening his eyes and giving a thumbs-up.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 27, 2026

Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, also in court, flashed a thumbs-up.

From BBC • Nov. 5, 2025

Adams posted a photo of himself on X giving a thumbs-up as he and Cuomo sat next to each other in floor seats.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025

We’re inside a plane with an open door, and a three-dimensional man is giving me the thumbs-up to jump into the open blue sky.

From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera