Definition of thumb - Reverso English Dictionary
Noun
1.
anatomyshort thick first digit in humans and comparable digit in other animals
- He injured his thumb and could not grip the tool.
2.
internetthumbnail picture on the internet
- Click on the thumb to view the full image.
3.
technologyTECH. part of a slider that moves linearlyTECH.
- Drag the thumb to adjust the volume.
Verb
1.
pressing actiontr. press, move, or touch using the short front finger of the handtr.
- She thumbed the button repeatedly..
2.
travelintr. US hitchhike by showing an upraised digit to passing driversintr. US
- They decided to thumb a ride to the festival.
3.
handlingtr. Dated soil or wear with frequent handlingtr. Dated
- The old book was thumbed and torn.
Expressions with thumb
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turn pages quickly using the thumb
He thumbed through the book to find the chapter.
having poor ability to grow and keep plants alive
She has a black thumb and her houseplants always die.
natural skill for gardening and growing plants
She has a green thumb and her garden is beautiful.
show disapproval or rejection
The committee thumbed down the proposal.
general guideline based on experience, not exact science
As a rule of thumb, add one cup of water.
be very easy to notice because of clear difference from others
The bright red house stood out like a sore thumb on the street.
be very easy to notice because different from everything around
His casual clothes made him stick out like a sore thumb at work.
kept obedient, unable to act freely because of another person
He kept me under his thumb and chose my friends.
give unfair help to one side in a situation
He put his thumb on the scale during the contest.
openly mock or defy someone or something
She thumbed her nose at authority by breaking the curfew.
controlled or dominated by someone else
She felt under the thumb of her strict parents.
hitchhike by signaling with your thumb
We decided to thumb a lift to the festival.
hitchhike by signaling with a thumb
We decided to thumb a ride to the festival.
under someone's control or influence
She has him under her thumb, he does everything she says.
controlled or dominated by the supervisor
She felt under the supervisor's thumb, unable to make decisions on her own.
person who is bad at gardening
He's known as a brown thumb because his plants never survive.
put own thumb in mouth and suck for comfort or habit
The baby likes to suck his thumb when tired.
decorative ring worn on the thumb as a fashion accessory
She chose a silver thumb ring to match her outfit.
play a game where two opponents try to pin each other's thumb
They decided to thumb wrestle to settle the argument.
small portable device for storing digital files
I saved my photos on a thumb drive.
natural skill for growing plants
She has a gardener's thumb and her garden is always beautiful.
game where two thumbs wrestle each other
They had a thumb fight during recess.
small musical instrument played by plucking metal tines
She played a soothing melody on her thumb piano..
game where players try to pin each other's thumb
They played a thumb war during recess.
Origin of thumb
Old English, thuma (thumb)
Terms with thumb included in their meaning
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anatomy gesture
finger next to the thumb, often used for pointing
medical
the finger next to the thumb
clothing
glove with thumb separate from other fingers
biology
thumb can touch other fingers
medical
bone extending from the elbow to the thumb side of the wrist
instrument method
bass guitar technique using thumb thumping or string pulling
medical
the finger next to the thumb
medical
wrist bone near the base of the thumb
measurement
the width of a hand with thumb extended
music
small fipple flute with four finger holes and two thumb holes
measurement
distance from thumb to little finger
paleontology
large herbivorous dinosaur with thumb spikes
music
thumb piano with a row of tuned tabs
medical
thumb of a human
gestures
disrespectful gesture with thumb on nose
palm
the fleshy area of the palm at the thumb's base
medical
the ball of the thumb or its muscle
hand mound
related to the palm or base of the thumb
medical
fleshy mound on the palm at the thumb's base
hand anatomy
carpal bone at thumb base
grip
way of holding objects using thumb index and middle fingers
approval gesture
show approval or agreement by raising the thumb upward
children comfort
put own thumb in mouth and suck for comfort or habit
jewelry
decorative ring worn on the thumb as a fashion accessory
Examples of thumb in a sentence
The baby wrapped his tiny fingers around my thumb. The website's thumb was too small to see clearly. I always check the thumb before downloading the image. Move the thumb left to lower the brightness. The thumb is stuck near the end of the progress bar. He thumbed through the pages quickly.
I thumbed the remote to change the channel. We had no choice but to thumb our way back home. She learned to thumb rides during her travels across Europe. She thumbed through the pages of the magazine. The fabric was thumbed and worn from years of use.
View all translations of thumb
Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.
- French:pouce, appuyer, ...
- German:Daumen, mit dem Daumen drücken, ...
- Italian:pollice, premere con il pollice, ...
- Spanish:pulgar, presionar con el pulgar, ...
- Portuguese:polegar, pressionar com o polegar, ...
- Chinese:拇指, 按, ...
- Japanese:親指, 親指で押す, ...
- Arabic:إِبْهام, ضَغَطَ بِالإِبْهامِ, ...
- Hebrew:אַגּוּדַל, לִלְחוֹץ, ...
- Russian:большой палец, нажимать большим пальцем, ...
- Ukrainian:великий палець, натискати, ...
- Hindi:अँगूठा, अंगूठा दबाना, ...
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