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

Crews have continued to work quickly to restore service to thousands of Coloradans who lost power as extreme high winds moved through the state this week. —Christa Swanson, CBS News, 22 Dec. 2025

Happy, too, to tell the story of Freestore Foodbank doing so much to ease hunger for thousands. —Patricia Gallagher Newberry, Cincinnati Enquirer, 21 Dec. 2025

In July, thousands rallied against the influx of foreigners from the United States and Europe who are gobbling up affordable property. —Suzette Hackney, USA Today, 21 Dec. 2025

While the series has been lost at the earliest opportunity and in a joint-record time of just 11 playing days, a 3-2 series defeat would look very different to 5-0, not least for the thousands of England fans who have paid a lot of money to come out and support the team in another losing cause. —Tim Spiers, New York Times, 21 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