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

There are thousands upon thousands of Black Friday deals introduced every year, and deciding which ones are worthy of shopping can feel tricky. —Carly Totten, Southern Living, 28 Nov. 2024

Russia hikes interest rates to highs not seen in 20 years Inflation began ramping up in Russia after president Vladimir Putin directed hundreds of thousands of working age men to fight in Ukraine and marshalled Russia’s industry to support its military objectives. —Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 28 Nov. 2024

The truce in Lebanon could give reprieve to the 1.2 million Lebanese displaced by the fighting and the tens of thousands of Israelis who fled their homes along the border. —Bassem Mroue, arkansasonline.com, 28 Nov. 2024

Israel and its most important ally, the U.S., have come under growing international pressure over the devastating toll the war is taking on civilians in Gaza, with most of the population driven from their homes and hundreds of thousands at risk of famine. —David Hodari, NBC News, 28 Nov. 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