thumb through
phrasal verb
thumbed through; thumbing through; thumbs through
: to turn the pages of (a book, magazine, etc.) quickly
I thumbed through a magazine while I waited.
Examples of thumb through in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Japanese fighter stuck his thumb in Gracie’s mouth and tried to fishhook him, which is popping your thumb through the guy’s cheek.
—
Kevin Maurer, Rolling Stone, 12 Nov. 2023
Dirty homes and emotional damage Sitting cross-legged on the floor in a corner of the Edmund D. Edelman Children’s Court in Monterey Park, Mckenzie was thumbing through phone videos of her daughter while waiting for a hearing to decide whether to return Ann to her care.
—Gale Holland, Anchorage Daily News, 17 July 2022
Ana Castro thumbs through her phone as the Metro Micro van pulls up next to her retail job at the Lynwood shopping center Plaza Mexico.
—Rachel Uranga, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2023
In 2017, a woman was thumbing through old picture frames at a New Hampshire thrift store when one caught her eye.
—Christopher Parker, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Aug. 2023
Cellphone use and loud conversations in movie theaters, long the bane of cinephiles, have become the norm, with audience members regularly talking, singing, thumbing through their illuminated social media accounts, taking photos or blatantly making TikTok videos.
—Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2023
Nell, like her mother, dreams of the stage, but she is stuck wearing sad quarantine lipstick, thumbing through plays in her bedroom at night, and practicing lines with her friends over Zoom.
—Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 31 July 2023
But as Villarreal’s loved ones focused on happy times with her, Garland police detectives thumbed through files and notes, hoping to find new information that could lead them to the person who killed her.
—Lana Ferguson, Dallas News, 27 July 2023
See More
Kevin Maurer, Rolling Stone, 12 Nov. 2023
Dirty homes and emotional damage Sitting cross-legged on the floor in a corner of the Edmund D. Edelman Children’s Court in Monterey Park, Mckenzie was thumbing through phone videos of her daughter while waiting for a hearing to decide whether to return Ann to her care.
—Gale Holland, Anchorage Daily News, 17 July 2022
Ana Castro thumbs through her phone as the Metro Micro van pulls up next to her retail job at the Lynwood shopping center Plaza Mexico.
—Rachel Uranga, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2023
In 2017, a woman was thumbing through old picture frames at a New Hampshire thrift store when one caught her eye.
—Christopher Parker, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Aug. 2023
Cellphone use and loud conversations in movie theaters, long the bane of cinephiles, have become the norm, with audience members regularly talking, singing, thumbing through their illuminated social media accounts, taking photos or blatantly making TikTok videos.
—Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2023
Nell, like her mother, dreams of the stage, but she is stuck wearing sad quarantine lipstick, thumbing through plays in her bedroom at night, and practicing lines with her friends over Zoom.
—Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 31 July 2023
But as Villarreal’s loved ones focused on happy times with her, Garland police detectives thumbed through files and notes, hoping to find new information that could lead them to the person who killed her.
—Lana Ferguson, Dallas News, 27 July 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thumb through.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near thumb through
Cite this Entry
“Thumb through.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thumb%20through. Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share