COBUILD frequency band
thumb
Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present tense thumbs , present participle thumbing , past tense, past participle thumbed
1.countable noun B1
2.countable noun B2
The thumb of a glove is the part which a person's thumb fits into.
3.verb
If you thumb a lift or thumb a ride, you stand by the side of the road holding out your thumb until a driver stops and gives you a lift.
It may interest you to know that a boy answering Rory's description thumbed a ride to Howth. [VERB noun + to]
Thumbing a lift had once a carefree, easy-going image. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: hitch [informal], request [informal], signal for, hitchhike More Synonyms of thumb
4. See also well-thumbed
5.
See to stick out like a sore thumb
6.
See to twiddle your thumbs
7.
See under sb's thumb
8. to have a green thumb
9. to thumb your nose at someone
10. rule of thumb
Phrasal verbs:
See thumb through
More Synonyms of thumb
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
British English pronunciation
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American English pronunciation
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COBUILD frequency band
thumb in British English
noun
1.
the first and usually shortest and thickest of the digits of the hand, composed of two short bones
Technical name: pollex
▶Related adjective: pollical
2.
the corresponding digit in other vertebrates
3.
the part of a glove shaped to fit the thumb
4. architecture another name for ovolo
5. See all thumbs
6. See thumbs down
7. See thumbs up
8. See under someone's thumb
verb
9.(transitive)
to touch, mark, or move with the thumb
10.
to attempt to obtain (a lift or ride) by signalling with the thumb
11.(when intr, often foll by through)
to flip the pages of (a book, magazine, etc) perfunctorily in order to glance at the contents
12. See thumb one's nose at
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
thumbless (ˈthumbless)
adjective
thumblike (ˈthumbˌlike)
adjective
Word origin
Old English thūma; related to Old Saxon thūma, Old High German thūmo, Old Norse thumall thumb of a glove, Latin tumēre to swell
COBUILD frequency band
thumb in American English
noun
1.
the short, thick digit of the human hand that is nearest the wrist and is opposable to the other fingers
2.
a corresponding part in some other vertebrate animals
3.
the part of a glove or mitten that covers the thumb
4. Architecture
ovolo
verb transitive
5.
to handle, turn, soil, or wear with or as with the thumb
6. Informal
to solicit or get (a ride) or make (one's way) in hitchhiking by gesturing with the thumb extended in the direction one is traveling
Idioms:
all thumbs
thumb one's nose
thumbs down
thumbs up
thumb through
under someone's thumb
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Derived forms
thumbless (ˈthumbless)
adjective
Word origin
ME (with unhistoric -b) < OE thuma, akin to Ger daume(n) < IE base *tēu-, to swell, increase > L tumor: basic sense, “enlarged finger”
COBUILD frequency band
thumb in American English
(θʌm)
noun
1.
the short, thick, inner digit of the human hand, next to the forefinger
2.
the corresponding digit in other animals; pollex
3.
the part of a glove or mitten for containing this digit
4.Architecture
an ovolo or echinus molding
5. See all thumbs
6. See thumbs down
7. See thumbs up
8. See under one's thumb
transitive verb
9.
to soil or wear with the thumbs in handling, as the pages of a book
10.
to glance through (the pages of a book, leaflet, etc.) quickly
11.
to play (a guitar or other instrument) with or as with the thumbs
12.(of a hitchhiker)
to solicit or get (a ride) by pointing the thumb in the desired direction of travel
13. See thumb one's nose
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019 by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
thumbless
adjective
thumblike
adjective
Word origin
[bef. 900; ME; OE thūma; c. D duim, OS, OHG dūmo (G Daumen), ON thumall; akin to L tumēre to swell (tumor)]
Examples of 'thumb' in a sentence
thumb
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There is currently a thumb on these scales. Wall Street Journal (2021) The Guardian (2015) The Guardian (2015) The Guardian (2018) The Guardian (2018) Times, Sunday Times (2016) The Sun (2010) Times, Sunday Times (2008) Times, Sunday Times (2016) Aldiss, Brian Somewhere East of Life (1994)
Word lists with
thumb
body
Quick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
-
Score: 0 / 5
Which part of the body am I?
the long flexible tubelike structure connecting a fetus with the placenta: it provides a means of metabolic interchange with the mother
Which part of the body am I?
(in man) either of the upper limbs from the shoulder to the wrist
Which part of the body am I?
the joint of the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
Which part of the body am I?
the opening through which many animals take in food and issue vocal sounds
Your score:
More idioms containing
thumb
thumb your nose at someone or something
a rule of thumb
be under someone's thumb
have a green thumb
someone or something sticks out like a sore thumb
