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 disease, which affects hundreds of thousands of women across the world, can cause severe pain. —Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 15 Dec. 2025

Maine has thousands more loons than the other New England states, with the other five states combining for about 1,000 adults. —Patrick Whittle, Fortune, 14 Dec. 2025

The violence occurred at the end of a summer day when thousands had flocked to Bondi Beach, an icon of Australia’s cultural life. —Arkansas Online, 14 Dec. 2025

Once cooled, the mixture solidifies into glass logs that are sealed inside stainless-steel canisters designed to hold for thousands of years. —New Atlas, 14 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