thumb

THUM/θʌm/

10 meanings of thumb

1
nouncountable
The short, thick finger on your hand that can move to touch each of the other fingers.
Like a finger that can reach across to touch all the others on your hand.
She hurt her thumb while closing the door.
He gave the puppy a gentle pat with his thumb.
Note
2
verbtransitive
To quickly turn the pages of a book to look through it.
Like quickly turning the pages of a comic book just to see what is inside.
He thumbed the magazine while waiting for his turn.
She likes to thumb a book before buying it.
Similarperuse
Note
3
verbtransitive or intransitive
To get rides from passing drivers by holding out your thumb at the roadside.
Like getting a free ride by waving down a passing car.
They thumbed across the country one summer.
He decided to thumb home after missing the last bus.
Similarhitchhike, hitch
Note
4
verbtransitive
To touch or press something using your thumb.
Like pressing a doorbell with the tip of your thumb.
He thumbed the buttons on the remote.
Painters often thumb the canvas to blend the colors.
Similartouch, rub, press, finger, handle
5
nouncolloquialcountable
A small version of a picture, shown so you can see many at once.
Like a tiny preview picture you tap to make it bigger.
Click the thumb to open the full photo.
The gallery showed dozens of thumbs on one page.
Similarthumbnail, preview
Note
6
verbtransitive
To move or work something using your thumb, such as pulling back the hammer of a gun.
Like flicking a small switch using only your thumb.
He thumbed the hammer back slowly.
Marksmen thumb the cylinder release to reload quickly.
Similarcock
Note
7
verbtransitive
To make something dirty or worn out by handling it again and again.
Like a coin that gets smooth from being touched so many times.
Years of reading had thumbed the old paperback.
Children thumb their favorite books until the covers fall apart.
Similarwear, soil, handle
Note
8
nouncountable
The small part of a slider control that you drag to change a value.
Like the little slider you push along a line to set the sound level.
Drag the thumb to turn the volume up.
The thumb on the scrollbar moves as you scroll down.
Similarhandle, knob
Note
9
verbtransitive
To fire a revolver fast by pulling its hammer with the thumb while holding the trigger down.
Like firing many shots quickly by tapping the hammer instead of the trigger each time.
In the movie, the gunslinger thumbed his pistol at the targets.
Trick shooters can thumb a revolver faster than they can squeeze the trigger each time.
Note
10
nouncountable
A cover on top of a digger's bucket that keeps the dug material from spilling out.
Like a lid that stops a scoop of dirt from falling out.
The operator lowered the thumb to hold the rocks in place.
Without a thumb, the bucket would drop loose dirt everywhere.

Practice

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Origin

From Old English þūma, going back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to grow." The 'b' was added in the late 13th century.