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

Tens of thousands remain missing, according to the United Nations. — Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 1 July 2026

The twin earthquakes, Venezuela’s deadliest in two centuries, have left nearly 2,000 dead and thousands missing. — Mery Mogollón, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026

Even before the recent wildfires ignited, Utah cattle ranchers were reeling from a record drought that has hit the state, drying out thousands of acres of grazing land, officials said. — Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 30 June 2026

The team believes the approach could unlock thousands of new superconductors and accelerate the search for materials suitable for large-scale energy and computing applications. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 30 June 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