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

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Etymology

Origin of thumbtack

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

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Compare meaning

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

• thumbtack vs. pushpin

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

thumbtack thumbtacks

You’ll also need scissors, white paper, tape, aluminum foil and a pin or thumbtack.

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

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

You might even wish to write down what you feel, laminate it and thumbtack it to a free-standing bulletin board for all to see.

From The Guardian ● Jun. 19, 2018

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

BARCELONA, Spain — Andreas Kron of Denmark won a rainy second stage of the Spanish Vuelta that local media reported was marred when several competitors rode over thumbtacks on Sunday.

From Washington Times ● Aug. 28, 2023

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.

From New York Times ● Jun. 8, 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

Pinned with thumbtacks in a circle, all those stormy treehouse drawings surrounding one strong, smiling girl.

From "Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World" by Ashley Herring Blake

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