1
as in hitched
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 flipped
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
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Recent Examples of thumbed
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
House lawyers argued that Bannon had thumbed his nose at the committee and ignored the subpoena.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 9 Feb. 2026
Vonn thumbed her nose at the odds.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 9 Feb. 2026
Instead of driving it away, King thumbed his nose at the neighbors and moved it into his front driveway.
—Kansas City Star, 3 Feb. 2026
Back during the height of covid, the Olde Mecklenburg Brewery thumbed its nose at social-distancing recommendations and crammed upwards of a thousand people into its beer garden for its annual Mecktoberfest.
—Theoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 31 Dec. 2025
Since then, several states have thumbed their nose at the order.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2025
Before Drew could say anything, Mike thumbed his collar and wandered off, still gazing at the color wheel.
—Literary Hub, 17 Oct. 2025
In short, Moscow sees Montenegro as both strategically valuable and an impudent upstart that has thumbed its nose at the Russian bear while genuflecting before NATO and Washington.
—Edward P. Joseph, Foreign Affairs, 22 Dec. 2016
Gail Sheehy, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026
House lawyers argued that Bannon had thumbed his nose at the committee and ignored the subpoena.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 9 Feb. 2026
Vonn thumbed her nose at the odds.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 9 Feb. 2026
Instead of driving it away, King thumbed his nose at the neighbors and moved it into his front driveway.
—Kansas City Star, 3 Feb. 2026
Back during the height of covid, the Olde Mecklenburg Brewery thumbed its nose at social-distancing recommendations and crammed upwards of a thousand people into its beer garden for its annual Mecktoberfest.
—Theoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 31 Dec. 2025
Since then, several states have thumbed their nose at the order.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2025
Before Drew could say anything, Mike thumbed his collar and wandered off, still gazing at the color wheel.
—Literary Hub, 17 Oct. 2025
In short, Moscow sees Montenegro as both strategically valuable and an impudent upstart that has thumbed its nose at the Russian bear while genuflecting before NATO and Washington.
—Edward P. Joseph, Foreign Affairs, 22 Dec. 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thumbed
Verb
-
But as the tables turned quickly on Thursday afternoon, many rank and file staffers expressed regret that the studio would not be hitched to the industry’s dominant subscription streaming platform but rather to a smaller, struggling rival legacy media conglomerate.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
27 Feb. 2026
-
The clerk only found out who was getting hitched when the bride told her that her new surname would be Bessette-Kennedy.—
Melissa Locker,
Southern Living,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The district court, again, ruled for the school, but the circuit court flipped.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
3 Mar. 2026
-
For one night, the roles were flipped.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Lui Sarinan, 17, skimmed the job description taped to the plastic folding table.—
Kate Armanini,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
-
My mind drifted to the World Rally Championship as the Duster skimmed across the surface with unexpected pace and stability.—
Fergus Scholes,
TheWeek,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Thumbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thumbed. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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