plural thumbs
1
: the short thick digit of the human hand that is analogous in position to the big toe and differs from the other fingers in having only two phalanges, allowing greater freedom of movement, and being opposable to each of them
also
: a corresponding digit in lower animals
2
: the part of a glove or mitten that covers the thumb
3
: something resembling or suggesting a thumb
I steep the tea with a thumb of ginger, which brings a lovely hint of spice …—
Sarah Nasello
Sarah NaselloI stop for a while among the crowds at the Pinnacle, a thumb of rock protruding from the rim of the Wonderland Range above Halls Gap.—Andrew Bain
Andrew Bain4
: a convex molding : ovolo
thumbed; thumbing; thumbs
1
: to turn over pages
thumb through a book
1
: to request or obtain (a ride) in a passing automobile by signaling with the thumb
2
a
: to leaf through (pages) with the thumb : turn
b
: to soil or wear by or as if by repeated thumbing
a badly thumbed book
Phrases
all thumbs
: extremely awkward or clumsy
: under control : in a state of subservience
her father did not have her that much under his thumb—Hamilton Basso
Hamilton Basso1
: to express disdain or defiance
thumb their nose at opulence—Sales Management
Sales Management2
: to place the thumb at one's nose and extend the fingers as a gesture of scorn or defiance
Synonyms
Examples of thumb in a Sentence
Noun
a little girl sucking her thumb
I accidentally cut my thumb.
My mitten has a hole in the thumb.
Verb
I thumbed a ride to school.
He thumbed his way to New York.
He thumbed across the country.
Recent Examples on the Web
Lisa Jhung, Outside Online, 15 Nov. 2024
Vampire bats typically fly near prey and then quickly walk or run on their thumbs and wrists to close in.
—Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 7 Nov. 2024
Jakob Schiller, Outside Online, 1 Nov. 2024
Rather than accommodating Washington, however, Netanyahu thumbed his nose at Obama in the United Nations, Congress, and other venues.
—Chris Miller, Foreign Affairs, 3 Nov. 2015
See all Example Sentences for thumb 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Bonus: The index fingertip and thumb are both touchscreen-compatible.
—Lisa Jhung, Outside Online, 15 Nov. 2024
Vampire bats typically fly near prey and then quickly walk or run on their thumbs and wrists to close in.
—Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 7 Nov. 2024
Verb
The bass tones flowed thumbed beautifully and distortion-free from this 120-decibel speaker, thanks to the 6-by-9-inch woofer.
—Jakob Schiller, Outside Online, 1 Nov. 2024
Rather than accommodating Washington, however, Netanyahu thumbed his nose at Obama in the United Nations, Congress, and other venues.
—Chris Miller, Foreign Affairs, 3 Nov. 2015
See all Example Sentences for thumb
Video
When Body Parts Are Also Verbs
Head, shoulders, metaphors, and toes
Dictionary Entries Near thumb
Cite this Entry
“Thumb.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thumb. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
thumb
1 of 2 noun1
a
: the short thick first finger of the human hand next to the index finger
b
: the similar structure in lower animals
2
: the part of a glove or mitten that covers the thumb
thumb
2 of 2 verb1
: to turn pages with the thumb
thumb through a book
2
: to seek or get a ride in a passing automobile by sticking out one's thumb
Medical Definition
thumb
noun
: the short and thick first or most preaxial digit of the human hand that differs from the other fingers in having only two phalanges, in having greater freedom of movement, and in being opposable to the other fingers
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