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

In January, Trump ordered a 90-day pause in foreign development assistance through USAID and other departments pending a review of efficiencies and consistency with his foreign policy just days after taking office, putting thousands of global development projects at risk. —Olivia Pinnock, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025

As a Senate aide early in his career, Zeller investigated a tainted L-tryptophan supplement that killed at least 30 people and sickened thousands in the U.S. in 1989. —Arthur Allen, CNN, 26 Feb. 2025

Police received thousands of tips about possible suspects during the homicide investigation, which garnered national interest, Thompson wrote. —Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 26 Feb. 2025

Emily Peck Feb 14, 2025 - Politics & Policy Trump administration fires thousands of federal workers as purge deepens The Trump administration over the past two days has fired thousands of federal workers with jobs reportedly ranging from wildfire prevention to medical research. —Emily Peck, Axios, 26 Feb. 2025

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