thumbtack

American  

[thuhm-tak] / ˈθʌmˌtæk /

noun

• thumbtacks
  plural

1. a tack with a large, flat head, designed to be thrust into a board or other fairly soft object or surface by the pressure of the thumb.

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verb (used with object)

1. to attach or tack by means of a thumbtack.

thumbtack British  

/ ˈθʌmˌtæk /

noun

1. Also called (esp in Britain): drawing pin.  a short tack with a broad smooth head for fastening papers to a drawing board, etc

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• thumbtacks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of thumbtack

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85; thumb + tack ¹

Compare meaning

How does thumbtack compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• thumbtack vs. pushpin

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

thumbtack thumbtacks

First, punch a small hole in the middle of one of the cards using a thumbtack or a pin.

From New York Times ● Apr. 7, 2024

The methyl group acts like a tiny thumbtack set out on the seat the antibiotic was hoping to take, Polikanov said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 15, 2024

Broadcaster TVE showed a thumbtack that its reporter on a motorbike found on the course.

From Washington Times ● Aug. 28, 2023

In 2017, BuzzFeed News reported a long list of stomach-churning discoveries: A woman unearthed a thumbtack in her Cheerios, and a man bit down on a bone from his box of Frosted Mini-Wheats.

From Slate ● Mar. 23, 2021

I think of Finch and Amanda, and then I look at the closet door, where you can still see the thumbtack holes from my calendar.

From "All The Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven

They’ve come to this cesspool to find the villainous Krem, an unrecognizably vile Matthias Schoenaerts with a mug that’s been pierced all over like he face-planted into a pile of thumbtacks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026

This summer’s Tour de France was also troubled by thumbtacks tossed on the road.

From Washington Times ● Aug. 28, 2023

While we are on ravioli, even if they are stuffed with thumbtacks and rusty pennies, they are better than spaghetti.

From Salon ● Apr. 5, 2023

The audience — yet Kemper’s no-nonsense pixie who suffers a dozen thumbtacks to the face runs a close second.

From New York Times ● Nov. 11, 2021

With one long stride he was there, and the four thumbtacks shot off and skittered across the floor as he tore the paper down.

From "The Landry News" by Andrew Clements