thumb

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 That film now boasts a $247 million domestic haul, nothing to thumb your nose at, but nothing compared to the DCU's big Marvel counterprogramming for the summer season, Superman. Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 17 Aug. 2025 Today, Lone Star state legislators are thumbing their noses at the longstanding political norm, followed by every other state, of waiting until the next census before redrawing their congressional districts. Mercury News Editorial, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2025 Some swindlers thumb their nose at both and keep their cons going. Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 14 Aug. 2025 Alison is so committed to her ideals that even acting them out feels like a grievous compromise; better to keep them on the wall, like the giant taxidermied moose head that quietly rolls its eyes as Alison thumbs glumly through Capital. Andrea Long Chu, Vulture, 16 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for thumb
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thumb
Verb
  • The trailer then cuts to scenes of characters flipping the bird, Kardashian getting hitched and — eventually — things totally falling apart.
    Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025
  • The original Golden Bachelor is getting hitched again.
    Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • But then again, fans might just opt for Instagram, TikTok and X (or somewhere even more nefarious), where flipping between content has never been easier.
    Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 20 Oct. 2025
  • An Illinois State University teaching assistant has been fired after he was captured on video flipping a Turning Point USA table and tearing up the group's flyers.
    Peter D'Abrosca, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Democrats’ most visible strategy appears to be trying to bum a few bucks from the grassroots—when the grassroots’ greatest power is in protest, boycott, and other unified mobilization efforts.
    Sarah Stankorb, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Alabama gave Georgia its first home loss in six years with a 24-21 constriction; Oregon rode a pair of Moores (Dante and Dakorien) to bum out Happy Valley in extra time.
    Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Trees are leafing, birds are chirping and the mere thought of sending a Microsoft Teams or Slack message feels like an affront to Mother Nature; spring has finally sprung in Indianapolis.
    Bradley Hohulin, IndyStar, 2 July 2025
  • This is because of the increasing demands for networking and switches to connect exponentially larger clusters, from spine to leaf in the front end and back end, rack to rack and accelerator to accelerator.
    Beth Kindig, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • What Hicks longs to do, in the face of these multidirectional threats to life and liberty, is persuade April to run away with him, hitchhiking from Wisconsin to who knows where, like a pair of Depression-era hoboes, out of range of anyone who wishes them ill.
    Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
  • Now Kiki is spooked, walks right out of the party, and basically hitchhikes a ride with some invisible truck driver.
    Brian Moylan, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Its boxy fit and hip-skimming length call to mind the actress’s style, while its fall-ready texture adds a trendy twist to basic outerwear.
    Averi Baudler, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025
  • An ideal scenario for the remainder of the year would have the recent choppiness last a bit longer to qualify as a proper scare, skimming the froth off the speculative stuff and resetting expectations in a way that rebuilds investors' capacity to be surprised to the upside.
    Michael Santoli, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Thumb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thumb. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.

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