thumb through
phrasal verb
thumbed through; thumbing through; thumbs through
: to turn the pages of (a book, magazine, etc.) quickly
I thumbed through a magazine while I waited.
Examples of thumb through in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
By 2014, Tinder was thumbing through 1 billion swipes per day.
—
Jason Parham, WIRED, 10 Sep. 2024
The morning routine goes a little like this: a brisk stroll up the road to the Bar Tabac des Alpilles, where the owner Patrick brings out coffees (café express for my dad, café creme for me) and one of the other early morning regulars hands us a newspaper to thumb through.
—Sarah James, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Aug. 2024
Ahead, thumb through everything from easy one-pot meals to a few lavish undertakings that every food enthusiast can appreciate.
—Cortne Bonilla, refinery29.com, 5 Jan. 2024
Another officer on scene picks up the cash and thumbs through it as Chapman continues to argue with the man under arrest.
—Ryan Oehrli, Charlotte Observer, 26 June 2024
Jason and Susan’s three children and several grandchildren were gathered around his bed, thumbing through a stack of photo albums.
—Julie McFadden, TIME, 10 June 2024
Keeping up with the news feels like watching two movies on different screens, while also thumbing through a social-media scroll.
—Harry Siegel, New York Daily News, 11 May 2024
For the duration of the event, the reporters remained on their phones or computers, either writing stories or thumbing through Twitter.
—Kyle Paoletta, Harper's Magazine, 30 Mar. 2024
As a result, the legislation left even conscientious employers the impossible task of thumbing through Social Security cards, multiple state driver's licenses, and other easy-to-forge documents to determine employment eligibility.
—Edward Alden, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2013
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.
Jason Parham, WIRED, 10 Sep. 2024
The morning routine goes a little like this: a brisk stroll up the road to the Bar Tabac des Alpilles, where the owner Patrick brings out coffees (café express for my dad, café creme for me) and one of the other early morning regulars hands us a newspaper to thumb through.
—Sarah James, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Aug. 2024
Ahead, thumb through everything from easy one-pot meals to a few lavish undertakings that every food enthusiast can appreciate.
—Cortne Bonilla, refinery29.com, 5 Jan. 2024
Another officer on scene picks up the cash and thumbs through it as Chapman continues to argue with the man under arrest.
—Ryan Oehrli, Charlotte Observer, 26 June 2024
Jason and Susan’s three children and several grandchildren were gathered around his bed, thumbing through a stack of photo albums.
—Julie McFadden, TIME, 10 June 2024
Keeping up with the news feels like watching two movies on different screens, while also thumbing through a social-media scroll.
—Harry Siegel, New York Daily News, 11 May 2024
For the duration of the event, the reporters remained on their phones or computers, either writing stories or thumbing through Twitter.
—Kyle Paoletta, Harper's Magazine, 30 Mar. 2024
As a result, the legislation left even conscientious employers the impossible task of thumbing through Social Security cards, multiple state driver's licenses, and other easy-to-forge documents to determine employment eligibility.
—Edward Alden, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2013
Dictionary Entries Near thumb through
Cite this Entry
“Thumb through.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thumb%20through. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share