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

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service has responded to 537 blazes since early October, which have burned thousands of acres, Gov. Phil Murphy said. —Melissa Chan, NBC News, 13 Nov. 2024

That $891 billion law provides thousands of dollars for any household to switch to electric appliances like a heat pump, install solar panels, and buy an electric car. —Matt Simon / Grist, Quartz, 12 Nov. 2024

Last month, the White House confirmed that North Korea—a country with few allies and little money—had sent thousands of soldiers to join Russia in its war against Ukraine. —Sungmin Cho, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2024

Satellite firms like SpaceX and other countries have envisioned operating tens of thousands of internet satellites in Earth’s low orbit, raising the risk of interference even more. —Michael Kan, PCMAG, 12 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