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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of thumb
Rather than accommodating Washington, however, Netanyahu thumbed his nose at Obama in the United Nations, Congress, and other venues.
—
Chris Miller, Foreign Affairs, 3 Nov. 2015
Its highest-profile suspects—Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), the rebel group that has terrorized northern Uganda and neighboring areas—have thumbed their noses at the court and are evading arrest.
—David Kaye, Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2011
His very existence thumbs its nose at any kind of modulated, moderate view.
—Clare Malone, The New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2024
Anderson, 57, just like Shelley, comes alive in a breathtaking merging of performance and person in that moment, thumbing her nose at those unable to see her skill as an actress or her contributions to entertainment beyond her capacity for objectification and exploitation.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 7 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for thumb 
Chris Miller, Foreign Affairs, 3 Nov. 2015
Its highest-profile suspects—Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), the rebel group that has terrorized northern Uganda and neighboring areas—have thumbed their noses at the court and are evading arrest.
—David Kaye, Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2011
His very existence thumbs its nose at any kind of modulated, moderate view.
—Clare Malone, The New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2024
Anderson, 57, just like Shelley, comes alive in a breathtaking merging of performance and person in that moment, thumbing her nose at those unable to see her skill as an actress or her contributions to entertainment beyond her capacity for objectification and exploitation.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 7 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for thumb
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thumb
Verb
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There have been rumors of Holland and Zendaya getting hitched for a while, culminating in some of the most upsetting AI art your aunt could ever share on Facebook.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
6 Jan. 2025
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There's criticism the show doesn't fully leverage its winning concept, sometimes opting to focus on filler 'what if' questions few considered (has anyone really been wondering what would happen if Howard the Duck got hitched?).—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
16 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Presto, Mahomes and the Chiefs flipped the script from out of the danger zone into taking charge.—
Vahe Gregorian,
Kansas City Star,
19 Jan. 2025
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Webb County made history in November, voting for Donald Trump and flipping the county red.—
Bethany Blankley | The Center Square,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
18 Jan. 2025
Verb
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When he himself isn’t bummed out, Scott Avett (who flew to New York to be with the cast and crew during its final week) remains philosophical.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
21 Jan. 2025
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Expecting to see spikes in seasonal affective disorder, Dr. Leibowitz was shocked to learn that Nordic people weren’t all that bummed out by the long, dark, and extreme winters.—
Julia Ries,
SELF,
16 Jan. 2025
Verb
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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
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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
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But that’s very much the reason, coming from that talk with Bob, that the movie opens with him at the station, hitchhiking into New York, and ends with him on the back of a motorcycle, riding away.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
28 Dec. 2024
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Once in the woods, Napoletano asked to be let out of the car to go to the bathroom, and hitchhiked back to Placerville.—
Jessica Garrison,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The aircraft, capable of skimming 1,600 gallons of water from the ocean and dropping it over fires, has become a critical resource in combating the flames.—
John Mac Ghlionn,
Newsweek,
13 Jan. 2025
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Ensure longer content is easy to skim with clear navigation, highlighted key points and scannable formatting so busy audiences can quickly grasp top insights and dive deeper if interested.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes,
13 Jan. 2025
Video
When Body Parts Are Also Verbs
Head, shoulders, metaphors, and toes
Thesaurus Entries Near thumb
Cite this Entry
“Thumb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thumb. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
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