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

Ben Vos is the coordinator at Mortuarium Schiphol (Schiphol Mortuary), a unique facility located on-site at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport that is completely off the radar of the thousands of travelers that pass through each day. —Natalia Senanayake, PEOPLE, 29 Dec. 2025

This year’s lapse in federal funding created a slew of challenges, such as thousands of flights being delayed or canceled amid air traffic controller shortages. —Sean Conlon, CNBC, 28 Dec. 2025

For two decades, 5-hour Energy, an energy drink sold in colorful two-ounce bottles in convenience store chains nationwide, has been the go-to booster for thousands of tired truckers and cramming college students. —Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 28 Dec. 2025

Her foundation helped fund a plan with the mayor of Bucharest in Romania to sterilize hundreds of thousands of stray dogs in the city, as an alternative to extermination. —Veronique Greenwood, Time, 28 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