thousand

noun

thou·​sand ˈthau̇-zᵊn(d) 

plural thousands or thousand

1

: a number equal to 10 times 100 see Table of Numbers

2

: a very large number

thousands of ants

thousand adjective

thousandfold

ˈthau̇-zᵊn(d)-ˌfōld 

adjective or adverb

thousandth

ˈthau̇-zᵊn(t)th 

adjective or noun

Examples of thousand in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The disruptions led to thousands of flight delays and cancellations, while hospitals, banks and other businesses around the world were also affected. —Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 23 Jan. 2026

In recent weeks, the Iranian government has killed and arrested thousands of peaceful protesters. —David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 23 Jan. 2026

Some of the morteros took thousands of years to be ground to 12 or 13 inches deep, Holton said. —Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026

In a recent court filing, Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson’s staff said a witness who claimed Tran coached her testimony in a 2016 murder trial in exchange for tens of thousands of dollars has apparently moved out of her apartment and is no longer answering prosecutors’ calls. —Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English thūsend; akin to Old High German dūsunt thousand, Lithuanian tūkstantis, and probably to Sanskrit tavas strong, Latin tumēre to swell — more at thumb entry 1

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing thousand

• a picture is worth a thousand words
• bat a thousand
• never/not in a thousand/million/billion years
• thousand-legger

Kids Definition

thousand

noun

thou·​sand ˈthau̇z-ᵊn(d) 

plural thousands or thousand

1

: a number equal to 10 times 100 see number

2

: a very large number

thousands of ants

thousand adjective