Adjacent Words

Thumb definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

THUMB
THUMB'ED
THUM'MERSTONE, n. A mineral so called from Thus, in Saxony, where it was found. It is called also axinite, from the resemblance of its flat sharp edges to that of an ax. It is either massive or crystallized; its crystals are in the form of a compressed oblique rhomboidal prism. It is of the silicious kind, and of a brown gray or violet color.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the thick short innermost digit of the forelimb [syn: thumb, pollex]
2: the part of a glove that provides a covering for the thumb
3: a convex molding having a cross section in the form of a quarter of a circle or of an ellipse [syn: ovolo, thumb, quarter round] v
1: travel by getting free rides from motorists [syn: hitchhike, hitch, thumb]
2: look through a book or other written material; "He thumbed through the report"; "She leafed through the volume" [syn: flick, flip, thumb, riffle, leaf, riff]
3: feel or handle with the fingers; "finger the binding of the book" [syn: finger, thumb]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English thoume, thoumbe, from Old English th?ma; akin to Old High German th?mo thumb, Latin tum?re to swell Date: before 12th century 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. a convex molding ; ovolo II. verb Date: circa 1647 transitive verb 1. 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> 2. to request or obtain (a ride) in a passing automobile by signaling with the thumb intransitive verb 1. to turn over pages <thumb through a book> 2. to travel by thumbing rides ; hitchhike <thumbed across the country>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a a short thick terminal projection on the human hand, set lower and apart from the other four and opposable to them. b a digit of other animals corresponding to this. 2 part of a glove etc. for a thumb. --v. 1 tr. wear or soil (pages etc.) with a thumb (a well-thumbed book). 2 intr. turn over pages with or as with a thumb (thumbed through the directory). 3 tr. request or obtain (a lift in a passing vehicle) by signalling with a raised thumb. 4 tr. use the thumb in a gesture. Phrases and idioms: be all thumbs be clumsy with one's hands. thumb index n. a set of lettered grooves cut down the side of a diary, dictionary, etc. for easy reference. --v.tr. provide (a book etc.) with these. thumb one's nose = cock a snook (see SNOOK(1)). thumb-nut a nut shaped for turning with the thumb and forefinger. thumbs down an indication of rejection or failure. thumbs up an indication of satisfaction or approval. under a person's thumb completely dominated by a person. Derivatives: thumbed adj. (also in comb.). thumbless adj. Etymology: OE thuma f. a WG root = swell

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Thumb Thumb, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Thumbed; p. pr. & vb. n. Thumbing.] 1. To handle awkwardly. --Johnson. 2. To play with the thumbs, or with the thumbs and fingers; as, to thumb over a tune. 3. To soil or wear with the thumb or the fingers; to soil, or wear out, by frequent handling; also, to cover with the thumb; as, to thumb the touch-hole of a cannon. He gravely informed the enemy that all his cards had been thumbed to pieces, and begged them to let him have a few more packs. --Macaulay.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Thumb Thumb, n. [OE. thombe, thoumbe, [thorn]ume, AS. [thorn][=u]ma; akin to OFries. th[=u]ma, D. duim, G. daumen, OHG. d[=u]mo, Icel. [thorn]umall, Dan. tommelfinger, Sw. tumme, and perhaps to L. tumere to swell. [root]56. Cf. Thimble, Tumid.] The short, thick first digit of the human hand, differing from the other fingers in having but two phalanges; the pollex. See Pollex. Upon his thumb he had of gold a ring. --Chaucer. Thumb band, a twist of anything as thick as the thumb. --Mortimer. Thumb blue, indigo in the form of small balls or lumps, used by washerwomen to blue linen, and the like. Thumb latch, a door latch having a lever formed to be pressed by the thumb. Thumb mark. (a) The mark left by the impression of a thumb, as on the leaves of a book. --Longfellow. (b) The dark spot over each foot in finely bred black and tan terriers. Thumb nut, a nut for a screw, having wings to grasp between the thumb and fingers in turning it; also, a nut with a knurled rim for the same perpose. Thumb ring, a ring worn on the thumb. --Shak. Thumb stall. (a) A kind of thimble or ferrule of iron, or leather, for protecting the thumb in making sails, and in other work. (b) (Mil.) A buckskin cushion worn on the thumb, and used to close the vent of a cannon while it is sponged, or loaded. Under one's thumb, completely under one's power or influence; in a condition of subservience. [Colloq.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Thumb Thumb, v. i. To play with the thumb or thumbs; to play clumsily; to thrum.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(thumbs, thumbing, thumbed) 1. Your thumb is the short thick part on the side of your hand next to your four fingers. She bit the tip of her left thumb, not looking at me. N-COUNT 2. If you thumb a lift or thumb a ride, you stand by the side of the road holding out your thumb until a driver stops and gives you a lift. It may interest you to know that a boy answering Rory's description thumbed a ride to Howth... Thumbing a lift had once a carefree, easy-going image. = hitch VERB: V n to n, V n 3. see also well-thumbed 4. If you say that someone or something sticks out like a sore thumb or stands out like a sore thumb, you are emphasizing that they are very noticeable, usually because they are unusual or inappropriate. Does the new housing stick out like a sore thumb or blend into its surroundings?... PHRASE: V and N inflect [emphasis] 5. If you say that someone is twiddling their thumbs, you mean that they do not have anything to do and are waiting for something to happen. The prospect of waiting around just twiddling his thumbs was appalling... PHRASE: V inflects 6. If you are under someone's thumb, you are under their control, or very heavily influenced by them. I cannot tell you what pain I feel when I see how much my mother is under my father's thumb... PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR after v 7. green thumb: see green to thumb your nose at someone: see nose rule of thumb: see rule

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

By rule of thumb: to do any thing by dint of practice. To kiss one's thumb instead of the book; a vulgar expedient to avoid perjury in taking a false oath.

Moby Thesaurus

OK, accept, all thumbs, annulary, approve of, awkward, be contemptuous of, catch a ride, clumsy, come in contact, contemn, dactylion, deride, digit, disapprove of, dismiss, feel, feel of, finger, flick, flip through, flout, forefinger, ham-fisted, handle, hitch, hitch a ride, hitch rides, hitchhike, index, index finger, jeer at, little finger, maladroit, manipulate, medius, middle finger, minimus, mock, okay, palm, palpate, paw, pinkie, ply, poke at, pollex, prod, rebuff, reject, ring finger, scoff at, scorn, tap, thumb through, touch, turn down, twiddle, welcome, wield