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

Southampton’s team arrived at St Mary’s amid a sea of red smoke from the flares lit by the thousands of fans who had lined the street to greet them. —Dan Sheldon, New York Times, 13 May 2026

These wildfires in the state come weeks after a separate set of blazes burned thousands of acres in not only Florida but also in Georgia. —Bianca Harris, USA Today, 12 May 2026

The breach created chaos across California university campuses this week, interrupting classes, assignments and finals preparations for hundreds of thousands of students and professors. —Kelvin Chan, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026

In South Korea, tens of thousands of Samsung workers are threatening to strike amid broader discontent over lagging pay. —Stephanie Yang, CNN Money, 12 May 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