thumbtack

1 of 2

noun

thumb·​tack ˈthəm-ˌtak How to pronounce thumbtack (audio)
: a tack with a broad flat head for pressing into a surface with the thumb

thumbtack

2 of 2

verb

thumbtacked; thumbtacking; thumbtacks

transitive verb

: to fasten with a thumbtack

Examples of thumbtack in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
In yet another homage, this time to Hell in a Cell 1998, Drew McIntyre pulled out what seemed to be a bag of thumbtacks. Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 5 Oct. 2024 Step on a thumbtack, and your brain senses the pain within a fraction of a second. Douglas Fox, Scientific American, 1 Apr. 2018
Verb
Those early emails were about as private as thumbtacking a note to your addressee on the lab bulletin board. PCMAG, 25 June 2024 Listen to this article Americans are footing the bill for atrocities Boston: With a glossy Tiger Beat centerfold of Bibi Netanyahu thumbtacked above a cluster of L.L. Bean glamping bags, this unnamed D.C. townhouse is the bipartisan slumber-party pad of many an elite D.C. warmonger. Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 25 Feb. 2024 See all Example Sentences for thumbtack 

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1884, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1914, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of thumbtack was in 1884

Dictionary Entries Near thumbtack

Cite this Entry

“Thumbtack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thumbtack. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

thumbtack

noun
thumb·​tack
ˈthəm-ˌtak
: a tack with a broad flat head for pressing into a board or wall with the thumb

More from Merriam-Webster on thumbtack

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!