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

IGN's Rebekah Valentine also gave a thumbs-up to the main character, arguably one the more obscure Pokémon - "I love this little weirdo!" she wrote in her nine out of 10 review.

From BBC • Mar. 3, 2026

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

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 24, 2025

Both then gave the thumbs-up sign for the cameras before heading inside for lunch.

From Barron's • Oct. 14, 2025

"She wrote that the Clue Crew will solve the case for sure. There was even a neat picture of you guys all giving a thumbs-up!"

From "Scream for Ice Cream: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #2" by Carolyn Keene