thousand

noun

thou·​sand ˈthau̇-zᵊn(d) How to pronounce thousand (audio)
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 adjective or adverb
thousandth adjective or noun

Examples of thousand in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The Texas governor and Republicans have repeatedly used inflammatory language to describe the tens of thousands of asylum-seekers and other migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border. Melissa Brown, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024 Tens of thousands of people hike the challenging Cathedral Rock Trail each year. Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 4 Mar. 2024 At the height of the windstorm, tens of thousands were in the dark in Nevada and Utah, where power has mostly since been restored. Jason Samenow, Washington Post, 4 Mar. 2024 About 80% of the population of 2.3 million have fled their homes, and U.N. agencies say hundreds of thousands are on the brink of famine. Tia Goldenberg, arkansasonline.com, 4 Mar. 2024 Some participants estimated that tens of thousands took part. Carlos Lozano, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2024 Related In the stands above, tens of thousands watch the show, dancing to live orchestras. Toby Muse, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2024 Meanwhile, the storm forced California officials to shut down a lengthy section of Interstate 80 as ski resorts closed and tens of thousands of homes were left without power. Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 3 Mar. 2024 Even after Andrea Cardenas was charged with seven felonies, for example, a new political committee spent tens of thousands of dollars supporting her re-election and attacking her main rival, campaign disclosures show. Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thousand.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of thousand was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near thousand

Cite this Entry

“Thousand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thousand. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

thousand

noun
thou·​sand ˈthau̇z-ᵊn(d) How to pronounce thousand (audio)
plural thousands or thousand
1
: a number equal to 10 times 100 see number
2
: a very large number
thousands of ants
thousand adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on thousand

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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