thumb·nail
ˈthəm-ˌnāl 
-ˈnāl
1
: the nail of the thumb
2
: a miniature computer graphic sometimes hyperlinked to a full-size version
Examples of thumbnail in a Sentence
Noun
You can see a larger version of the picture by clicking on the thumbnail.
Adjective
a thumbnail outline of the plot of the novel
Recent Examples on the Web
PC Magazine, 25 June 2025
On Netflix, a project equivalent to this would have cost $2 million and starred a just-familiar-enough face for a thumbnail on the home screen, and enough people might have tuned into it while on their phones to justify its existence on a budget spreadsheet.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 12 June 2025
Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 27 Aug. 2018
Between the two fences that separate Reggie’s enclosure from the public is a sign with the thumbnail version of his remarkable journey to the Los Angeles Zoo 15 years ago today.
—Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2022
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Noun
Clicking on a photo thumbnail takes you to a clean, photo-only viewing page.
—PC Magazine, 25 June 2025
On Netflix, a project equivalent to this would have cost $2 million and starred a just-familiar-enough face for a thumbnail on the home screen, and enough people might have tuned into it while on their phones to justify its existence on a budget spreadsheet.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 12 June 2025
Adjective
Click on the thumbnail image to see what that looks like.
—Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 27 Aug. 2018
Between the two fences that separate Reggie’s enclosure from the public is a sign with the thumbnail version of his remarkable journey to the Los Angeles Zoo 15 years ago today.
—Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2022
See All Example Sentences for thumbnail
Cite this Entry
“Thumbnail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thumbnail. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
thumbnail
1 of 2 noun
thumb·nail
ˈthəm-ˌnāl
-ˈnā(ə)l
1
: the nail of the thumb
2
: a miniature computer graphic sometimes connected by a hyperlink to a larger version
thumbnail
2 of 2 adjective
thumb·nail
ˌthəm-ˌnāl
: brief entry 1
wrote a thumbnail sketch of the poet
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