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

The long-festering malaise erupted into street demonstrations last ⁠September, ​triggered by a social media ban, that ​brought thousands onto the streets, leading to clashes and fatalities that forced the resignation of ​Oli. —CNN Money, 6 Mar. 2026

The New Mexico case and a separate trial against Meta in Los Angeles could set the course for thousands of similar lawsuits against social media companies. —Morgan Lee The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 6 Mar. 2026

Tech companies that aggressively hired during the COVID-19 pandemic have been slashing tens of thousands of jobs. —Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026

With the use of these unique materials where ions move freely even under electrical load, the team shrunk these thermometers to a mere square micrometer — thousands of times thinner than a human hair. —Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 6 Mar. 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