thumbtack

[thuhm-tak]

noun

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.

verb (used with object)

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

thumbtack

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of thumbtack¹

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

Example Sentences

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

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

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

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It’s as visually pulse-pounding as thumbtacks on a driveway, and an invitation to close one’s eyes and concentrate on the A.S.M.R. pleasure of shuddering steel.

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

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