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

Today, Who’s Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. —Jennifer Pierce, USA Today, 9 May 2025

The dog's noisy breakthrough has become an unexpected source of joy not just for his family but also for tens of thousands of viewers, many of whom took to the comments to share their delight and humor. —Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025

Call-up orders are going out to tens of thousands of already exhausted reservists. —Gershom Gorenberg, The Atlantic, 9 May 2025

With hundreds of thousands of green jobs expected over the next 15 years, private and public sector leaders in New York have taken smart steps to build a constellation of green economy workforce training programs, ensuring that a broad swath of New Yorkers are prepared for these jobs. —Jonathan Bowles, New York Daily News, 9 May 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