👍 Thumbs Up emoji
[thuhmz-uhp ih-moh-jee]
What does 👍 Thumbs Up emoji mean?
The thumbs-up emoji is used to express assent, approval, or encouragement in digital communications, especially in Western cultures.
Where does 👍 Thumbs Up emoji come from?
Officially called the Thumbs Up Sign, the thumbs-up emoji also goes by the like or yes emoji. It debuted as a yellow hand as part of Unicode 6.0 in 2010, becoming available in a variety of skin colors in 2015. On many platforms, including Apple’s, the default thumbs-up emoji is yellow and left-handed, showing the palm and folded fingers; Facebook’s is right-handed, as it happens, displaying the back of the hand. Two platforms, HTC and Mozilla, feature a default thumbs-up emoji in a white skin tone.
The thumbs-up emoji draws on a long history of the thumbs-up gesture. In many Western countries, the thumbs-up, as a physical sign, indicates approval or acknowledgement. The origin of the gesture is obscure. It’s often popularly attributed to a gesture spectators would give if they wanted a gladiator to spare a foe’s life in ancient Rome. However, the thumbs-up has also been speculated to originate in deal-making in the Middle Ages, with two parties agreeing to an arrangement by licking their thumbs and then pressing them together. As a metaphorical term, we can find thumbs-up in writing in the early 20th century.
Before the release of the thumbs-up emoji in 2010, websites like MSN Messenger, Facebook, and YouTube in the 2000s had been using a thumbs-up icon on their website for “liking” a comment or content.
Examples of 👍 Thumbs Up emoji
We got you covered 👍
Keep your eyes open and your feet moving forward,you will find what you need in life...👍👍
Nottingham Arts Theatre is open its doors to the homeless again tonight from 8 p.m. They will take dogs. Please share 👍
Who uses 👍 Thumbs Up emoji?
In some cultures, including Australia, Greece, and the Middle East, the thumbs-up gesture can be considered obscene, equivalent to “Up yours!”
In many Western cultures, the thumbs-up emoji enjoys a wide range of use in text messages, social-media posts, and other forms of digital communication. On its own, a thumbs-up emoji can indicate “OK” or “Got it.” For example, if one person asked to meet another at 2:30, the other person could acknowledge the appointment with a thumbs-up emoji. The thumbs-up emoji also frequently punctuates text, sometimes in strings for additional emphasis, to indicate positivity, agreement, approval, encouragement, or assurance, an equivalent to “Awesome!” or Great job!”. Someone might comment “That looks great! 👍” to celebrate a piece of online artwork. Another person might post “Please subscribe to my channel if you like my content! 👍” to solicit support or to say thanks.
As with much of language, the thumbs-up emoji can also be used sarcastically: “Way to ruin the party 👍.” It’s also sometimes used in reference to the “This guy” meme (e.g., “Who’s got two thumbs and a ticket to the premiere of Black Panther? This guy”).
NOTE
This is not meant to be a formal definition of 👍 Thumbs Up emoji like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of 👍 Thumbs Up emoji that will help our users expand their word mastery.
