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

GiftRocket published lists of tens of thousands of restaurants and retailers on its website and prompted consumers to choose any of them to create a virtual gift card. —Jeff Kauflin, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025

Wikipedia reports that Trump has made tens of thousands of false or misleading claims in his first and second terms. —Chicago Tribune, 21 May 2025

Between them, Local 3621 and Local 2507 represent thousands of FDNY emergency medical technicians, paramedics, fire inspectors and emergency response managers. —Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 21 May 2025

Goji berries, known for their sweet-tangy flavor and bright red hue, have been used for thousands of years in traditional Chinese medicine. —Megan Nunn, Verywell Health, 21 May 2025

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