thousand

noun

thou·​sand ˈthau̇-zᵊn(d) 

plural thousands or thousand

1

: a number equal to 10 times 100 see Table of Numbers

2

: a very large number

thousands of ants

thousand adjective

thousandfold

ˈthau̇-zᵊn(d)-ˌfōld 

adjective or adverb

thousandth

ˈthau̇-zᵊn(t)th 

adjective or noun

Examples of thousand in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The three largest blazes burning on Thursday covered a total of more than 110,000 acres and threatened tens of thousands of structures, according to fire officials. —Kevin Shalvey, ABC News, 13 Sep. 2024

But use this strategically, and don’t overdo it. VIDEO QUIZ An Illinois judge ruled that Trump Tower in Chicago violated multiple environmental laws, and killed thousands of which type of animal? A. Birds B. Fish C. Butterflies D. Squirrels Check your answer. —Danielle Chemtob, Forbes, 13 Sep. 2024

Collectively, these moms have traveled hundreds of thousands of miles with newborns, toddlers, and young children, with partners and unaccompanied. —Essence, 13 Sep. 2024

Alpine had also co-founded a sustainability interest group within the company seven years ago that thousands of employees now belong to. —Karen Hao, The Atlantic, 13 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English thūsend; akin to Old High German dūsunt thousand, Lithuanian tūkstantis, and probably to Sanskrit tavas strong, Latin tumēre to swell — more at thumb entry 1

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing thousand

• a picture is worth a thousand words
• bat a thousand
• never/not in a thousand/million/billion years
• thousand-legger

Kids Definition

thousand

noun

thou·​sand ˈthau̇z-ᵊn(d) 

plural thousands or thousand

1

: a number equal to 10 times 100 see number

2

: a very large number

thousands of ants

thousand adjective