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

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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

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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 For months, this young, rambunctious, and altogether infectious bunch played with house money, thumbing their collective noses at the idea of another year of rebuild futility. Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2026 When the Chicago Tribune went after him, stirring up the first of many federal, state, and local investigations into Robinson's activities, Noah thumbed his nose. Gail Sheehy, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026 Why did Lucas take the note from De Palma while thumbing his nose at studio suggestions? Michael O’Donnell, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026 Vonn thumbed her nose at the odds. Frederick Dreier, Outside, 9 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for thumb
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thumb
Verb
  • As the astronauts selected for the Artemis II mission, Wiseman, Glover, Koch and Hansen boarded an Orion spacecraft April 1 to hitch a ride to orbit.
    Doyle Rice, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2026
  • Economist Jayati Ghosh, who researched India's COVID response, estimates some 80 million migrant workers tried to return home, walking and hitching rides in searing summer heat.
    Diaa Hadid, NPR, 10 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • That could flip if the Lakers go up 2-0, but Houston is favored to win on the road and even the series.
    Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2026
  • This has made some big-tent Republicans nervous, since many of the bill’s co-sponsors — including Salazar — represent competitive districts that Democrats are hoping to flip in the midterms.
    Emily Brooks, The Hill, 19 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • On March 17, a video obtained by TMZ showed LaBeouf in a hotel lobby in Rome, Italy, wearing only his underwear and trying to bum a light for a cigarette.
    Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 1 Apr. 2026
  • Spring cleaning bumming you out?
    K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 31 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • At the site, trees are leafing as workers add finishing touches.
    Aria Jones, Dallas Morning News, 25 Mar. 2026
  • But other begonia varieties have foliage that can hold its own in the garden when the plants aren't flowering, too, like the Polka Dot begonia (Begonia maculata) and the orange-leafed 'Autumn Crinkle' begonia, a rhizomatous hybrid.
    Derek Carwood, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • At Loyola, his eye for the absurd found a feast in the French Quarter; his interview series, Quarter Confessions, eventually birthed his memoir-zine, All Gas, No Brakes, a document of a 70-day hitchhiking journey across America.
    Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
  • Prosecutors said Hague hitchhiked to Anchorage the day after he was interviewed by troopers.
    Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Special backhoes will skim that top layer of soil off the top.
    Andy Sheehan, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026
  • But a financial audit revealed that Alfortish had been skimming money, some of which had been earmarked for hurricane relief, to pay for vacations to Aruba and to Grand Cayman, and for a new sound system at his home.
    Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026

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“Thumb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thumb. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.

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