thin

1 of 3

adjective

thinner; thinnest
1
a
: having little extent from one surface to its opposite
thin paper
b
: measuring little in cross section or diameter
thin rope
2
: not dense in arrangement or distribution
thin hair
3
: not well fleshed : lean
4
a
: more fluid or rarefied than normal
thin air
b
: having less than the usual number : scanty
thin attendance
c
: few in number : scarce
d
: scantily supplied
e
: characterized by a paucity of bids or offerings
a thin market
5
a
: lacking substance or strength
thin broth
a thin plot
b
of a soil : infertile, poor
6
a
: flimsy, unconvincing
a thin disguise
b
: disappointingly poor or hard
had a thin time of it
7
: somewhat feeble, shrill, and lacking in resonance
a thin voice
8
: lacking in intensity or brilliance
thin light
9
: lacking sufficient photographic density or contrast
thinly adverb
thinness noun
thinnish adjective

thin

2 of 3

verb

thinned; thinning

transitive verb

: to make thin or thinner:
a
: to reduce in thickness or depth : attenuate
b
: to make less dense or viscous
c
d
: to cause to lose flesh
thinned by weeks of privation
e
: to reduce in number or bulk

intransitive verb

1
: to become thin or thinner
2
: to become weak

thin

3 of 3

adverb

thinner; thinnest
: in a thin manner : thinly
used especially in combination
thin-clad
thin-flowing
Phrases
thin on the ground
Choose the Right Synonym for thin

thin, slender, slim, slight, tenuous mean not thick, broad, abundant, or dense.

thin implies comparatively little extension between surfaces or in diameter, or it may imply lack of substance, richness, or abundance.

thin wire
a thin soup

slender implies leanness or spareness often with grace and good proportion.

the slender legs of a Sheraton chair

slim applies to slenderness that suggests fragility or scantiness.

a slim volume of poetry
a slim chance

slight implies smallness as well as thinness.

a slight build

tenuous implies extreme thinness, sheerness, or lack of substance and firmness.

a tenuous thread

Examples of thin in a Sentence

Adjective a thin coating of dust pizza with a thin crust a thin slice of ham a thin stand of trees Verb He added a little more water to thin the gravy. The haze thinned in the late afternoon. His face has been thinned by illness. Adverb She sliced the cheese thin.
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Adjective
The figure standing there was a tall youth, painfully thin, in a cream-colored jacket. Yukio Mishima, The New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2024 Related Articles Alba wore it with a Harris button on her lapel as well as two simple necklaces and thin hoop earrings. Mikelle Street, WWD, 26 Oct. 2024
Verb
Conversely, if your chili is too thick, add a splash of broth or water to thin the consistency as needed. Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 22 Oct. 2024 In the intervening years, its ranks have repeatedly been thinned by Israeli assassinations of its top leaders, dating back to its earliest days. Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2024
Adverb
Mental health struggles among Veterans remain tragically high, and health resources, both physical and mental, are stretched thin, creating a serious ongoing crisis in the United States. Kody Boye, USA TODAY, 17 Oct. 2024 Some of our readers grew up with noodle-like dumplings rolled thin, while others had soft, fluffy dumplings dropped straight into the pot. Symiah Dorsey, Southern Living, 12 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for thin 

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English thin, thinne, going back to Old English þynne, going back to Germanic *þunnu- (assimilated to the -ja-stem adjectives in West Germanic, whence Middle Dutch dunne "thin," Old High German dunni, against Old Norse þunnr), generalized from a paradigm *þenu-, *þunw-a-, going back to Indo-European *ténh2u-, *tn̥h2u̯ó-, whence also, from with a base *tenh2u-, *tn̥h2u- with varying ablaut and suffixation, Old Irish tanae "thin, slender," Old Welsh teneu, Middle Breton tanau, Latin tenuis "fine-drawn, thin, narrow, slight," Greek tanu- "extended, long," tanaós "outstretched, long," Old Church Slavic tĭnŭkŭ "fine, delicate," Russian tónkij "thin," Croatian & Serbian tȁnak, Lithuanian tę́vas, Sanskrit tanúḥ, tánukaḥ "thin, small"

Note: Indo-European *tenh2u-, *tn̥h2u- is usually taken to be a derivative of the verbal base *ten- "stretch, extend"; see tenant entry 1.

Verb

Middle English thinnen, going back to Old English þynnian, derivative of þynne thin entry 1

Adverb

Middle English thynne, derivative of thin, thinne thin entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Adverb

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of thin was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near thin

Cite this Entry

“Thin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thin. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

thin

1 of 2 adjective
thinner; thinnest
1
: having little extent from one surface to its opposite
thin paper
2
: having widely scattered units
thin hair
3
: having too little flesh
a tall thin boy
4
: less dense than normal
thin air
5
: lacking substance or strength
thin broth
thin excuses
6
: somewhat weak or shrill
a thin voice
thinly adverb
thinness noun

thin

2 of 2 verb
thinned; thinning
1
: to make or become thin
2
: to reduce in number especially to prevent crowding
thin young carrots in the garden

More from Merriam-Webster on thin

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!