1
Examples 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 thumb
Its highest-profile suspects—Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), the rebel group that has terrorized northern Uganda and neighboring areas—have thumbed their noses at the court and are evading arrest.
—
David Kaye, Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2011
His very existence thumbs its nose at any kind of modulated, moderate view.
—Clare Malone, The New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2024
Anderson, 57, just like Shelley, comes alive in a breathtaking merging of performance and person in that moment, thumbing her nose at those unable to see her skill as an actress or her contributions to entertainment beyond her capacity for objectification and exploitation.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 7 Sep. 2024
As the house legend maintains, the devilish canine, who is seen thumbing his nose mockingly, was born of Alfred’s personal distaste for the police.
—Dan Q. Dao, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for thumb 
David Kaye, Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2011
His very existence thumbs its nose at any kind of modulated, moderate view.
—Clare Malone, The New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2024
Anderson, 57, just like Shelley, comes alive in a breathtaking merging of performance and person in that moment, thumbing her nose at those unable to see her skill as an actress or her contributions to entertainment beyond her capacity for objectification and exploitation.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 7 Sep. 2024
As the house legend maintains, the devilish canine, who is seen thumbing his nose mockingly, was born of Alfred’s personal distaste for the police.
—Dan Q. Dao, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for thumb
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thumb
Verb
-
There have been rumors of Holland and Zendaya getting hitched for a while, culminating in some of the most upsetting AI art your aunt could ever share on Facebook.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
6 Jan. 2025
-
There's criticism the show doesn't fully leverage its winning concept, sometimes opting to focus on filler 'what if' questions few considered (has anyone really been wondering what would happen if Howard the Duck got hitched?).—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
16 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Presto, Mahomes and the Chiefs flipped the script from out of the danger zone into taking charge.—
Vahe Gregorian,
Kansas City Star,
19 Jan. 2025
-
Cars were flipped over, traffic lights and lamp posts were torn down, and there were even unconfirmed reports of explosions.—
Jackson Thompson,
Fox News,
18 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Picture a disheveled gambler, with his empty pockets sticking out, trying to bum a smoke from someone on the Las Vegas strip.—
Jay Paris,
Forbes,
3 Jan. 2025
-
When someone in the music industry told him that Deconstruction had already broken up, the news deeply bummed him out.—
Aaron Gilbreath,
SPIN,
31 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
This is because of the increasing demands for networking and switches to connect exponentially larger clusters, from spine to leaf in the front end and back end, rack to rack and accelerator to accelerator.—
Beth Kindig,
Forbes,
19 Dec. 2024
-
Such a cacophony means that the reader keeps having to leaf back to make sense of the storyline.—
Ruth Margalit,
The New York Review of Books,
30 Mar. 2023
Verb
-
But that’s very much the reason, coming from that talk with Bob, that the movie opens with him at the station, hitchhiking into New York, and ends with him on the back of a motorcycle, riding away.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
28 Dec. 2024
-
Once in the woods, Napoletano asked to be let out of the car to go to the bathroom, and hitchhiked back to Placerville.—
Jessica Garrison,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
California has seen an increase in card skimming over the past few years, with fraudulent activity popping up across the state.—
Fernanda Galan,
Sacramento Bee,
13 Jan. 2025
-
The best way to avoid falling victim to a skimming operation is to check any point-of-sale terminal before inserting your credit or debit card.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
7 Jan. 2025
Video
When Body Parts Are Also Verbs
Head, shoulders, metaphors, and toes
Thesaurus Entries Near thumb
Cite this Entry
“Thumb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thumb. Accessed 24 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share