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

Less than a week later, the liquidation of the ghetto began, and thousands were murdered in the ditches. —Etgar Lefkovits, Sun Sentinel, 3 July 2024

Scientists can now point to when and where the world's first grape came into being, paving the way for thousands of years of evolution, domestication by humans and of course, wine. —Claire Thornton, USA TODAY, 3 July 2024

The new exodus comes on top of the 1 million people who fled Rafah since May, as well as tens of thousands who were displaced the past week from a new Israeli offensive in the Shijaiyah district of northern Gaza. —Wafaa Shurafa, arkansasonline.com, 3 July 2024

Last April, the transportation department closed both ramps at once, causing massive delays and stranding thousands of drivers on the causeway for hours. —Adlai Coleman, Miami Herald, 3 July 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