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

Waka Waka was another, so the many thousands of home fans could launch into their chant to that tune in celebration of Kai Havertz. —Nick Miller, The Athletic, 3 Feb. 2025

Now, the cancer survivor has joined the ranks of thousands who have been bumped from the TennCare rolls. —Evan Mealins, The Tennessean, 3 Feb. 2025

Since before the split, the company has faced tens of thousands of lawsuits over claims that its baby powder and other talc products are linked to cancers including ovarian. —Ayesha Javed, TIME, 2 Feb. 2025

And that demand has become increasingly heightened in recent months as hurricanes and wildfires have destroyed thousands of homes across the US. —Alicia Wallace, CNN, 2 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