thumbs-up

[thuhmz-uhp]

noun

Informal.

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

thumbs up

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of thumbs-up¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Example Sentences

One parachutist—a slim, blue-eyed 22-year-old named Hannah Senesh—gave a thumbs-up, walked calmly to the edge of the hatch and jumped.

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

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The pair gave me a nod and a thumbs-up that clearly said to me, “Way to go, Dad.”

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

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The “compact” his administration wants universities to sign would get an eager thumbs-up from, I would guess, 90% of the public.

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