# thread

Pronunciation: say "THRED" /θɹɛd/

## Noun

1. 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.
   - Simple: A long, thin string of cotton, silk, or other fiber, used for sewing or weaving cloth.
   - _The tailor matched the thread color to the fabric exactly._
   - _Loose threads dangled from the hem of the old coat._
2. 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.
   - Simple: A set of online messages about one topic, with the replies linked together.
   - _The thread quickly grew to hundreds of comments overnight._
   - _She started a thread asking for restaurant recommendations._
3. A continuing theme, idea, or line of reasoning that runs through and connects a discussion, story, argument, or train of thought.
   - Simple: A main idea or line of thought that runs through a story, talk, or argument and connects its parts.
   - _Loss is the common thread that connects every chapter of her memoir._
   - _Several political threads run through the novel's sprawling plot._
4. The helical ridge or groove that winds around a screw, bolt, or nut to allow parts to be fastened by turning.
   - Simple: The raised line that spirals around a screw or bolt and lets it grip.
   - _A worn thread on the bolt kept the joint from holding._
   - _Machinists cut a finer thread for the precision fitting._
5. In computing, a lightweight unit of execution within a process that runs concurrently with other threads and usually shares their memory and resources.
   - Simple: A small part of a computer program that can run at the same time as other parts.
   - _The server spawns a new thread for each incoming connection._
   - _Background threads handle file loading while the interface stays responsive._
6. Any fine filament occurring naturally, such as spider silk, or manufactured from materials like glass, plastic, or metal.
   - Simple: A very thin fiber found in nature, like spider silk, or made from 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._
8. A series of connected messages, events, or items following one after another in sequence.
   - Simple: A series of messages or events linked one after another.
   - _Investigators traced a thread of connections running from the forgery to the gallery owner._
   - _A thread of coincidences tied the strangers' lives together._
13. A very slender or fragile means of support on which something precariously depends, chiefly in the phrase hang by a thread.
   - Simple: Something very thin and weak that is all that keeps something from failing.
   - _The ceasefire hung by a thread as both sides rearmed._
   - _For three days after the crash, the pilot's life hung by a thread._
16. The continuing course of a person's life, imagined as a single unbroken line running from birth to death.
   - Simple: The course of a person's life seen as one continuous line from birth to death.
   - _A sudden accident severed the thread of his life._
   - _Losing his job so suddenly felt like a sharp break in the thread of his life._
18. A slender stream of water, narrow enough to seem like a single flowing line.
   - Simple: A very thin stream of water flowing in a narrow line.
   - _A silver thread of water wound through the dry riverbed._
   - _After the rain, threads of water slid down the windowpane._

## Verb

7. To pass a length of thread through the eye of a needle.
   - Simple: To put a piece of thread through the small hole in a needle.
   - _He struggled to thread the needle in the dim light._
   - _Once you thread the needle, knot the end of the cotton._
9. To make one's way carefully through a narrow, crowded, or difficult place, picking a route between obstacles.
   - Simple: To move carefully through a narrow or crowded space, finding a way around things in your path.
   - _The cyclist threaded the gaps in slow-moving traffic._
   - _Experienced guides thread the canyon's tightest passages with ease._
10. To cut or form a helical ridge on a bolt or in a hole so that parts can be screwed together.
   - Simple: To cut a winding line into a bolt or hole so that a screw can twist into place.
   - _The machinist threaded the steel rod to accept a standard nut._
   - _They thread each hole before fitting the bolts._
11. To pass or pierce all the way through something, penetrating from one side to the other.
   - Simple: To pass or push all the way through something, going from one side to the other.
   - _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._
12. To fix beads, pearls, or similar items onto a thread that is passed through them; to string.
   - Simple: To put beads or pearls onto a string by passing it through them.
   - _The artisan threaded freshwater pearls into a delicate strand._
   - _Children thread wooden beads to practice their hand control._
14. To interweave something as if with thread; to scatter or intersperse it throughout.
   - Simple: To mix or weave something in among other things, as if with thread.
   - _The composer threaded a single melody through every movement._
   - _Skilled speakers thread small jokes into otherwise serious talks._
15. To remove facial hair using a looped thread that is tightly twisted in the middle and rolled across the skin.
   - Simple: To remove unwanted facial hair using a twisted loop of thread.
   - _The beautician threaded her brows into a clean arch._
   - _Some salons thread facial hair rather than wax it._
17. To feed film or tape into a projector, camera, or recorder, guiding it along its correct path so that it runs properly.
   - Simple: To put film or tape into a machine so it runs along the right path.
   - _The projectionist threaded the reel and dimmed the lights._
   - _Learning to thread a 16mm camera takes practice._
19. Of boiling syrup, to form a slender threadlike stream when poured or dripped from a spoon.
   - Simple: Of hot syrup, to form a thin string when it drips from a spoon.
   - _Keep heating the mixture until it threads from the ladle._
   - _When the syrup starts to thread, remove the pan from the heat._

## Noun

20. The degree of fineness, quality, or essential nature of a person or thing. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: The fineness or quality of something, or what kind of thing it is.

## Other meanings

- (noun) The imaginary line running down the middle of a stream, midway between its two banks.

## Origin

From Middle English thred, from Old English þrǣd, from Proto-Germanic *þrēduz, ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European root *terh₁- meaning "rub, twist." It is related to Dutch draad and German Draht ("thread, wire").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/thread (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).