thumb

1
as in to hitch
to travel by securing free rides thought I'd thumb into town instead of paying for a cab

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in to flip
to turn over pages in an idle or cursory manner I thumbed through the book during the flight but was too distracted to really read it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of thumb Defying the law would bring no real legal consequences for the people involved—which is why the Trump administration is already thumbing its nose at court orders. Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 14 Feb. 2025 In other words, if the Supreme Court rules against Trump on an important issue, there’s a fair chance the Trump-Vance-Musk regime will thumb their nose at it. Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 11 Feb. 2025 The ordinance was repealed in July 2008. 1995: Two thumbs up. Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 1 Feb. 2025 Watercolours and its surprisingly competent pictures will enliven any coffee table—and surely provoke more than a few visitors to thumb its pages and reflect on Charles’s varied interests. Allie Merriam, Vogue, 30 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for thumb
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thumb
Verb
  • The pair got hitched in July 2022 in a romantic ceremony in Tuscany, Italy, after five years together, per Vogue.
    Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 30 Mar. 2025
  • Nevertheless, Joe Wright’s lush adaptation of Jane Austen’s second novel hitched Knightley’s star ever higher, establishing her as perhaps the premier period-drama heroine of our time—while also helping to launch people like Carey Mulligan and Rosamund Pike into the stratosphere.
    Marley Marius, Vogue, 25 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Scheyer flipped the entire roster, while keeping his same identity with the new personnel, which showed in the team’s metrics.
    Tyler Small, Forbes.com, 1 Apr. 2025
  • But, two goals allowed in 32 seconds, like on Monday night, or two in 20 seconds, like against very likely first-round opponent Dallas on March 16, can flip a playoff game, or the entire series.
    Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 1 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • For more on Nintendo Switch 2, check out our Switch 2 game wishlist and learn why we’ll be bummed if Switch 2 lacks these features.
    Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 27 Mar. 2025
  • Plenty more will simply be bummed their predictions didn’t pan out.
    Ben Travers, IndieWire, 21 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • This is because of the increasing demands for networking and switches to connect exponentially larger clusters, from spine to leaf in the front end and back end, rack to rack and accelerator to accelerator.
    Beth Kindig, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
  • Such a cacophony means that the reader keeps having to leaf back to make sense of the storyline.
    Ruth Margalit, The New York Review of Books, 30 Mar. 2023
Verb
  • Prosecutors said Grissom, an Arkansas long-haul truck driver who had a lengthy criminal record, picked up Johns, who was hitchhiking, on his way to Oklahoma City to apply for a job.
    arkansasonline.com, arkansasonline.com, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Insects often hitchhike on products, people, and plant material, usually without our being aware of it, says Kathryn Bronsky, national policy manager with the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
    Erica Browne Grivas, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Enter the hollow-body frog, which will skim over the mats with ease.
    Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 26 Mar. 2025
  • In 2017, a previous version of the car skimmed a cyclist in London, leading to some bad press, so this latest iteration has been programmed not to overtake cyclists, horse riders, or anything slow-moving on the road.
    Carlton Reid, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Thumb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thumb. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.

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