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 Osmonds’ success earned them a rarified status in the Church of Latter-day Saints, with church elders crediting them with tens of thousands of baptisms during the Seventies. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2026

This can lead to galaxy cluster speeds that move at hundreds or even thousands of km/s relative to the Hubble flow. —Big Think, 21 Apr. 2026

The aquarium features hundreds of thousands of gallons of water and dozens of habitats filled with nearly 8,000 animals, including sharks, sea turtles, stingrays and jellyfish. —Taylor Haught, Kansas City Star, 21 Apr. 2026

Every day in New York City, thousands of home attendants are being forced to work cruel 24-hour shifts while being paid for only 13 of those hours. —Christopher Marte, New York Daily News, 21 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