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

Labrador, a controversial figure, outraised Hickman by hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to the Idaho Secretary of State Office’s website. — Idaho Statesman, 4 Nov. 2026

Another aircraft carrier and thousands of additional troops are also on their way to the Middle East. — Arkansas Online, 4 Nov. 2026

In 1870, Southern Pacific was employing thousands of Chinese railroad workers to do more dangerous work for longer hours and less pay than white railway workers. — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026

The company plans a major expansion there starting as early as next year, and the southern part of the state was already likely to become the long-term focus for launching hundreds or even thousands of Starships a year. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 4 Nov. 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