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

This includes educating and training thousands of engineers, maritime specialists, nuclear tradespeople and other professionals to support the enterprise across its full lifecycle, as per the release. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026

As Rash points out, two $0-premium options can differ by thousands of dollars in total out-of-pocket spending over a year depending on an individual’s health needs. — Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 14 Oct. 2026

Hundreds of thousands of teachers, doctors and civil servants walked off the job in Ireland on Wednesday, crippling public services across the country as workers demand higher wages to offset the rising cost of living. — ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026

In the official teaser trailer for Paul Thomas Anderson‘s Cameron Winter at Carnegie Hall, thousands of people funnel into the famed venue looking for both warmth and escape in a cold New York December. — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 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