thumb

Definition of thumbnext
1
as in to hitch
to travel by securing free rides thought I'd thumb into town instead of paying for a cab

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in to flip
to turn over pages in an idle or cursory manner I thumbed through the book during the flight but was too distracted to really read it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of thumb Emin’s masterpiece thumbed its nose at a tradition of recumbent feminine flesh on tousled white sheets (think Titian’s Venus of Urbino, Manet’s Olympia, or any number of bosomy Lucian Freud nudes). Literary Hub, 21 Apr. 2026 Unfortunately, that’s the only real recourse the public has with a Congress that still gleefully thumbs its nose at the laws and rules that apply to others. Douglas MacKinnon, Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2026 Caleb Foster thumbed over his shoulder to move Cam Boozer. Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 28 Mar. 2026 Since the late 1970s, victories at the bargaining table have been less frequent, and UFW leaders admit ranchers thumbed their noses during contract negotiations, daring them to strike. Marcos Breton, Sacbee.com, 24 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for thumb
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thumb
Verb
  • Earlier this month, Page Six and TMZ reported the pop superstar and Kansas City Chiefs tight end would get hitched at the massive New York venue, citing sources with direct knowledge of the planning.
    Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 20 June 2026
  • Ladov envisions building additional vertiports around the region so that folks living in, say, Montclair, New Jersey, could hitch a ride in an air taxi for their daily commute.
    Anne Kadet, Curbed, 19 June 2026
Verb
  • Digital computers force all information processing into discrete, high-precision, clocked steps, with billions or trillions of bits flipped every second.
    Rob Toews, Forbes.com, 22 June 2026
  • But Miller credited his club for flipping the script and locking in defensively this past week.
    Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 21 June 2026
Verb
  • Some were drawn first to the language and its interna ideo, only to later realize the travel benefits involved; others had learned the language specifically to bum around.
    Katie Thornton, Harpers Magazine, 26 May 2026
  • That means, as some critics of the ban have pointed out, that 18-year-olds will almost certainly bum cigarettes from older friends—the same way younger teens have acquired them since time immemorial.
    Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 19 May 2026
Verb
  • Twelve-hundred years passed in the shade of the Major Oak of Sherwood Forest before it was declared dead after failing to come to leaf.
    Karina Zaiets, USA Today, 19 June 2026
  • The restaurant is flashier and more glamorous than the original, with moody black floors, discreetly spotlit tables, mirrored ceilings, and walls leafed in living greenery.
    Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 24 May 2026
Verb
  • Dreesen moved to Los Angeles, living on $1 a day and hitchhiking to The Comedy Store, begging for a set and bonding with other impoverished comedians.
    Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 18 June 2026
  • The two traveled to Chippewa County, Michigan, and hitchhiked to Kincheloe once the car broke down, officials said.
    Nick Lentz, CBS News, 14 June 2026
Verb
  • Minneapolis has two harvesting machines that can skim lakes to remove algae.
    Jeff Wagner, CBS News, 24 June 2026
  • Workers were seen skimming the surface of the pool in the end nearest the World War II Memorial.
    Drew Pittock, USA Today, 21 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Thumb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thumb. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.

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