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

There’s plenty of spring-friendly bedding worth shopping, too, like this pretty comforter with feminine ruffle details or a cooling blanket that thousands of hot sleepers swear by. —Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Apr. 2026

There was no sign former leader Aung San Suu Kyi would be freed or if the pardon would include the thousands of political detainees imprisoned for opposing military rule. —ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026

Hundreds of thousands of dollars to try and win this election. —Tom Wait, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026

Gosling came with a card and a bouquet of flowers as a thank you to the thousands of exhibitors, asking one lucky female audience member to take the card and blooms and pass them around the entire audience so everyone could enjoy. —Matt Donnelly, Variety, 16 Apr. 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