thimbleful

noun

thim·​ble·​ful ˈthim-bəl-ˌfu̇l How to pronounce thimbleful (audio)
1
: as much as a thimble will hold
2
: a very small quantity
not a thimbleful of common sense

Examples of thimbleful 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.
Anyone wanting more than a thimbleful of coffee had to pursue refills relentlessly. Julia Whelan Emma Kehlbeck Jeremy McLennan, New York Times, 2 May 2025 Observers caution that some of these green-hydrogen projects will never produce a thimbleful of hydrogen—an echo of the hydrogen boom a generation ago that ultimately went bust. IEEE Spectrum, 25 Dec. 2022 Despite the efforts of talented actors, none of these characters share a thimbleful of onscreen chemistry – least of all Stephen Strange and Christine, a relationship meant to be at the heart of the movie. Rob Salkowitz, Forbes, 6 May 2022 Microbiologists began by isolating the microbial DNA in a thimbleful of soil to see what genes and species were in the sample. Elizabeth Pennisi, Science | AAAS, 12 July 2021 Imagine, for example, dropping a thimbleful of red dye into a swimming pool. Quanta Magazine, 22 Apr. 2021 Just one thimbleful of neutron star would weigh 100 million tons. Sophie Weiner, Popular Mechanics, 4 Nov. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1604, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of thimbleful was in 1604

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Cite this Entry

“Thimbleful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thimbleful. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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