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• thumbs-up
  thumbs-up

  noun

  an act, instance, or gesture of assent, approval, or the like.
• thumbs up
  thumbs up

  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.

thumbs-up

American  

[thuhmz-uhp] / ˈθʌmzˈʌp /

noun

Informal.

• thumbs-ups
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• thumbs-ups
  plural

Etymology

Origin of thumbs-up

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

thumbs-up thumbs up thumbs-ups

“Amazing,” he says, giving chef Andrew Gruel a slack thumbs-up.

From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026

Earlier this year, SpaceX’s request for a smaller expansion was given the thumbs-up.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026

"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

The two men posed, grinning and giving a thumbs-up, for a photo that was posted to Graham’s X account.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2026

Ivy wiggled her matching rainbow nails back, and Gigi gave her a red thumbs-up.

From "Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World" by Ashley Herring Blake

According to the Associated Press, Bryant flashed a thumbs up to a person in the courtroom before leaving.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 27, 2026

After the hearing, Hill smiled to journalists and gave thumbs up.

From BBC ● Apr. 6, 2026

"It seems to be getting the thumbs up on social media from Scotland fans but there has been a dispute about whether it is pink or orange," Husband told BBC Scotland News.

From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2026

“Give a thumbs up if you think he should tell his friend,” Collins later urges the crowd.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2026

Frank S., puffy-eyed and slouching on the bench, gives me two thumbs up.

From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King

Along with 31 thumbs-ups, eight angry faces and several other emojis, the post got 24 comments.

From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2025

At last, I’ll be able to see everyone’s hearts and thumbs-ups.

From Slate ● Mar. 18, 2023

Driving a vehicle that garners that level of attention means lots of nods, thumbs-ups, and the brief conversation after parking in a public lot.

From The Verge ● Aug. 8, 2022

When the jurors were discharged and Guzman stood to leave the courtroom, the couple traded thumbs-ups.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 12, 2019

She smiles, gives me two thumbs-ups and a look that says, you got this.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith