thousand

noun

thou·​sand ˈthau̇-zᵊn(d) How to pronounce thousand (audio)
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 adjective or adverb
thousandth adjective or noun

Examples of thousand 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.
Under his direction, thousands of federal employees have been let go or put on leave. Ellise Shafer, Variety, 10 Mar. 2025 Prior to the Biden reform to pare clawbacks to 10% of a person's benefit check, some Americans had encountered financial hardship after receiving shock bills amounting to thousands of dollars. Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 10 Mar. 2025 Hundreds of employees recently lost their jobs, and thousands are at risk. William Lambers, Newsweek, 10 Mar. 2025 Argentine authorities say China’s distant-water fishing fleet routinely travels thousands of miles in search of commercially valuable fish species. Avery Schmitz, CNN, 10 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for thousand

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

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

Cite this Entry

“Thousand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thousand. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

thousand

noun
thou·​sand ˈthau̇z-ᵊn(d) How to pronounce thousand (audio)
plural thousands or thousand
1
: a number equal to 10 times 100 see number
2
: a very large number
thousands of ants
thousand adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on thousand

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!