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

Yet Hall went close to a second equaliser after the interval, curling narrowly wide with an audacious effort that drew an admiring thumbs-up from Donnarumma.

From Barron's • Feb. 21, 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

Earlier in the week, the governor said Staff Sgt Wolfe had responded to a nurse with a thumbs-up and was able to move his toes.

From BBC • Dec. 6, 2025

West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey told reporters on Monday that Mr Wolfe had responded to nurses with a thumbs-up, but he remained in a serious condition in hospital.

From BBC • Dec. 2, 2025

Cheers fill the room again, and this time people pump fists and pat me on the back and give me double thumbs-up.

From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen