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
Some watched short-form videos while others thumbed through their feeds, pausing every so often to tap a like on a post.
—
Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
Research is good – mindlessly thumbing through every arrival on a resale site, less so.)
4.
—Rachel Tashjian, CNN Money, 16 Jan. 2026
American Express’s chief information officer Radhakrishnan Ravi thumbs through the New York Times app every morning for his daily dose of news.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 2 Jan. 2026
So for president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti, the annual media availability session at the GM meetings is usually spent forcing small talk with a passerby or thumbing through his phone.
—Zack Meisel, New York Times, 13 Nov. 2025
There's a reason why people like thumbing through stacks of old albums.
—Scott Neuman, NPR, 12 Nov. 2025
This month, young readers can curl up with nonfiction explorations of the galaxy, thumb through an old astronomy textbook with a fresh new story to tell, or experience the peace of being (almost) alone on the moon.
—Caroline Carlson, Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
Nothing, however, replaces cruising around stacks of books at a real bookstore, thumbing through the tomes that catch your eye.
—Terri Daxon, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025
While thumbing through early 20th century author Harriet Ross Cloquitt’s 1933 edition of The Savannah Cookbook, King stumbles upon a recipe for jambalaya.
—Elizabeth Wellington, Bon Appetit Magazine, 8 Aug. 2025
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Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
Research is good – mindlessly thumbing through every arrival on a resale site, less so.)
4.
—Rachel Tashjian, CNN Money, 16 Jan. 2026
American Express’s chief information officer Radhakrishnan Ravi thumbs through the New York Times app every morning for his daily dose of news.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 2 Jan. 2026
So for president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti, the annual media availability session at the GM meetings is usually spent forcing small talk with a passerby or thumbing through his phone.
—Zack Meisel, New York Times, 13 Nov. 2025
There's a reason why people like thumbing through stacks of old albums.
—Scott Neuman, NPR, 12 Nov. 2025
This month, young readers can curl up with nonfiction explorations of the galaxy, thumb through an old astronomy textbook with a fresh new story to tell, or experience the peace of being (almost) alone on the moon.
—Caroline Carlson, Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
Nothing, however, replaces cruising around stacks of books at a real bookstore, thumbing through the tomes that catch your eye.
—Terri Daxon, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025
While thumbing through early 20th century author Harriet Ross Cloquitt’s 1933 edition of The Savannah Cookbook, King stumbles upon a recipe for jambalaya.
—Elizabeth Wellington, Bon Appetit Magazine, 8 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Thumb through.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thumb%20through. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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