thumb
The shortest and thickest digit of the hand that for humans has the most mobility and can be made to oppose (moved to touch) all of the other fingers.
Noun 4 meanings
The shortest and thickest digit of the hand that for humans has the most mobility and can be made to oppose (moved to touch) all of the other fingers.
The part of a slider that may be moved linearly along the slider.
“a scroll-bar thumb”
A thumbnail picture.
A top hatch plate for covering an excavator bucket, used to keep material in the digger bucket after scooping it up, and not letting it spill out.
Verb 4 meanings
To touch or cover with the thumb.
“to thumb the touch-hole of a cannon”
To turn the pages of (a book) in order to read it cursorily.
“thumb through”
To gesture with the thumb, for example when flagging a ride.
To hitchhike.
“So I started thumbin' back east, toward my hometown.”
Etymology
Derived from Middle English thombe, thoume, thoumbe (“thumb”), from Old English þūma (“thumb”), from Proto-West Germanic *þūmō (“thumb”), from Proto-Germanic *þūmô (“thumb”), from Proto-Indo-European *tūm- (“to grow”).
Similar and opposite words
THUMB at a glance
THUMB has 5 letters and scores 12 points in Scrabble (T 1 + H 4 + U 1 + M 3 + B 3) and 14 in Words With Friends, before board bonuses. It ranks #6,962 by how often it appears in everyday English. It is valid in ENABLE, NWL2023, Collins/SOWPODS.
Rhymes with thumb
All rhymes- DUMB9
- NUMB8
- SUCCUMB15
- CRUMB11
- PLUMB11
- BREADCRUMB19
- RHUMB12
- UNPLUMB13
- BENUMB12
- BEDUMB13
- BETHUMB16
- REPLUMB13
One letter away
- THUMP12
- RHUMB12
Keep going
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