thumbs

present tense third-person singular of thumb
1
as in hitches
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 flips
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 thumbs The video player page includes a description, links to similar content, and the ability to give a film a thumbs up or thumbs down. PC Magazine, 4 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thumbs
Verb
  • Paulsen flips through cut-ups and points out spacing and the tiniest of movements in a route, the angles of hips and feet and placement of hands in a block.
    Jourdan Rodrigue, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Trump's approach flips that logic.
    Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The cranky and irritating backseat driver, who bums a lift midway through the Griswolds' adventure, also has with her the easily excitable pooch Dinky.
    Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Sep. 2025

Cite this Entry

“Thumbs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thumbs. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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