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 fighting earlier in the year displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians on both sides of the border. —Robert Birsel, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Dec. 2025

These are the top 10 seasonal jobs hiring right now, based on Monster's analysis of thousands of job postings on the platform in November. —Sophie Caldwell, CNBC, 7 Dec. 2025

Goa, a small state on India’s west coast known for its beaches and Portuguese heritage, attracts hundreds of thousands of foreign tourists and millions of domestic tourists every year. —Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 7 Dec. 2025

Budget airline IndiGo, which commands 65% of the domestic market and is typically known for punctuality, canceled thousands of flights over the last several days due to a pilot shortage stemming from new rules that limit pilots’ work hours. —J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 7 Dec. 2025

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