thread

Pluralthreads

Formsthreads, threading, threaded

1. 1
   nouncountable or uncountable

   A long, fine strand of spun or twisted textile fibers, used for sewing or weaving or forming one of the strands that make up a fabric.

   The tailor matched the thread color to the fabric exactly.

   Loose threads dangled from the hem of the old coat.

   UsageFor the material, use thread without a: a spool of thread, needle and thread. String usually suggests something coarser.

   Similaryarn, cotton, strand

   Note

   The sense the others grow from. Old English þrǣd goes back to a root meaning "rub, twist," so the word has always carried the twisting in it: fibers turned together until they hold as one strand. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

   • Thread descends from Old English þrǣd, ultimately from a root meaning “rub, twist.” en.wiktionary.org
2. 2
   online postsnouncountable

   A series of posts consisting of an initial message and the responses to it, generally relating to the same subject, on a forum or social media platform.

   The thread quickly grew to hundreds of comments overnight.

   She started a thread asking for restaurant recommendations.

   UsageYou start, follow or reply to a thread, and posts appear in it.

   Similardiscussion, conversation, topic

   Note

   Internet usage took the word from the sewing basket and kept its shape: one opening post, with every reply strung after it like beads on a cord. The same word serves newsgroups, forums and social media alike.

3. 3
   nouncountable

   A continuing theme, idea, or line of reasoning that runs through and connects a discussion, story, argument, or train of thought.

   Like a melody you can follow through a long piece of music.

   Loss is the common thread that connects every chapter of her memoir.

   Several political threads run through the novel's sprawling plot.

   UsageOften a common thread. To lose the thread is to stop following an argument or story.

   Similartheme, strand, motif, line

   Note

   Whether it is a line of reasoning followed step by step or a theme running beneath a whole work, the picture is of one unbroken strand. Topic is a near synonym. A topic is usually announced, while a thread is often discovered by tracing it through.

4. 4
   screw ridgenouncountable

   The helical ridge or groove that winds around a screw, bolt, or nut to allow parts to be fastened by turning.

   A worn thread on the bolt kept the joint from holding.

   Machinists cut a finer thread for the precision fitting.

   Note

   An engineer's thread is a shape, not a strand: the spiral ridge on a bolt or inside a nut. It is described by its pitch, lead and thread angle, and two parts join only when these match. External threads sit on bolts and rods, and internal threads line nuts and holes. Cutting them is the verb "to thread". Source

   Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 5 facts

   • A screw thread is a helical ridge on an external or internal surface. parktool.com
   • Pitch, lead and thread angle are properties used to describe screw threads. en.wikipedia.org
   • Mating threads require matching pitch, lead and thread profile, including its angle. uneedpm.com
   • External threads occur on bolts and rods; internal threads occur in nuts and holes. en.wikipedia.org
   • Cutting screw threads is a form of threading. en.wikipedia.org
5. 5
   computingnouncountable

   In computing, a lightweight unit of execution within a process that runs concurrently with other threads and usually shares their memory and resources.

   The server spawns a new thread for each incoming connection.

   Background threads handle file loading while the interface stays responsive.

   Note

   A programmer's word, and the contrast that matters is with a process. Threads run inside a process and share its memory and other resources. That makes them lighter than a separate process and lets them work concurrently. Each is the smallest sequence of instructions a scheduler can manage on its own. The shared memory is both the convenience and the hazard, because two threads can reach the same data at once. Source

   Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 5 facts

   • Threads execute within a process and share its memory and system resources. learn.microsoft.com
   • Threads are lighter than separate processes. developer.android.com
   • Threads within a process can execute concurrently. cs.cornell.edu
   • A thread is the smallest independently scheduled unit of execution. learn.microsoft.com
   • Concurrent access to shared data can cause problems. learn.microsoft.com
6. 6
   thin filamentnouncountable

   Any fine filament occurring naturally, such as spider silk, or manufactured from materials like glass, plastic, or metal.

   A fine thread of molten glass was drawn out to make the fiber.

   Spider silk consists of remarkably strong protein threads.

   Similarfilament, fiber, strand

7. 7
   for sewingverbtransitive

   To pass a length of thread through the eye of a needle.

   He struggled to thread the needle in the dim light.

   Once you thread the needle, knot the end of the cotton.

   UsageAlso figurative: thread the needle, to find a narrow way between two risks.

   Oppositeunthread

8. 8
   linked seriesnouncountable

   A series of connected messages, events, or items following one after another in sequence.

   Investigators traced a thread of connections running from the forgery to the gallery owner.

   A thread of coincidences tied the strangers' lives together.

   Similarchain, string, series, trail, sequence

9. 9
   verbfigurativelytransitive

   To make one's way carefully through a narrow, crowded, or difficult place, picking a route between obstacles.

   The cyclist threaded the gaps in slow-moving traffic.

   Experienced guides thread the canyon's tightest passages with ease.

   UsageUsually thread your way through a crowd or narrow place, but a plain object works too: thread the gaps.

   Similarnavigate, negotiate

   Note

   Sport has made it a passing word too. In Ben Smith's report for BBC Sport (2013), Januzaj threads "a 40-yard pass into the path of Rooney," slipping the ball through a gap as narrow as a needle's eye. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

   • Ben Smith wrote the BBC Sport report in 2013; it was published on 19 October. bbc.com
   • The report describes Januzaj threading a 40-yard pass into Rooney's path, using the quoted wording. bbc.com
10. 10
    cut groovesverbtransitive

    To cut or form a helical ridge on a bolt or in a hole so that parts can be screwed together.

    The machinist threaded the steel rod to accept a standard nut.

    They thread each hole before fitting the bolts.

    Similartap

    Note

    Machinists pair this verb with tap. In the narrower sense, to thread is to cut the outside of a bolt or rod, typically with a die, while to tap is to cut the matching groove inside a hole. In looser use, thread covers both jobs, which is why a machinist can speak of threading a hole as well as a bolt. Source

    Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

    • Threading and tapping are paired machining terms, with threading used narrowly for work done with a die. en.wikipedia.org
    • A die cuts external threads on cylindrical stock. openwa.pressbooks.pub
    • Tapping creates internal threads in a hole. openwa.pressbooks.pub
    • Threading also encompasses the creation of internal threads. en.wikipedia.org
11. 11
    verbfigurativelytransitive

    To pass or pierce all the way through something, penetrating from one side to the other.

    Like a river cutting clean through a mountain range.

    A narrow canal threads the island from coast to coast, saving boats a long trip around it.

    A skilled archer can thread both rings with a single arrow and still hit the center.

    Similarpierce, penetrate, permeate

    Note

    Older English spelled this sense several ways. John Pettus's Fodinæ Regales (1670) has miners "threed a Vein of any Metal." The archaic variant thrid lasts into the 1890s. The Pall Mall Magazine threatens to "thrid you with bullets," and Bernard Capes has swifts "thridding Ned's brain." Modern use is gentler and mostly describes a railway or road that threads a gorge. Source

    Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 5 facts

    • Historical spellings include threed and thrid. en.wiktionary.org
    • John Pettus wrote Fodinæ Regales, published in 1670. openlibrary.org
    • Pettus's mining passage contains the quoted wording. en.wiktionary.org
    • The variant thrid remained in use during the 1890s, including in the quoted threat in The Pall Mall Magazine. en.wiktionary.org
    • Bernard Capes describes swifts as thridding Ned's brain. gutenberg.org
12. 12
    string beadsverbtransitive

    To fix beads, pearls, or similar items onto a thread that is passed through them; to string.

    The artisan threaded freshwater pearls into a delicate strand.

    Children thread wooden beads to practice their hand control.

    Similarstring

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