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

While thousands of Prime Day deals are available to everyone, certain sales are only for Prime members. —Phoebe Sklansky, Peoplemag, 15 July 2024

While the motive of the shooter remains unknown, the incident has turbocharged the Trump campaign and the thousands of MAGA diehards in Milwaukee this week. —Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 15 July 2024

But recent turmoil underscores the complexity of welcoming thousands upon thousands of athletes and fans from around the world. —David Wharton, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2024

While the Valley itself is closed to visitors of the island, the overlook offers a peek inside the historic valley, which was once home to thousands of Hawaiians. —Kait Hanson, Travel + Leisure, 15 July 2024

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