thumb
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Hopeful return: Third baseman Nolan Arenado suffered an injury to his left thumb Tuesday, the same injury he sustained in late August.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
For physical illness, Tang says there are some well-established rules of thumb.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
When it comes to shopping for accounts, however, there are good rules of thumb.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026
When arguing with the prime minister, Mr. Gallant waved his right hand with thumb and index finger extended for emphasis, his eyes lit up with a rare fire.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
His hand moved up to my face, and his thumb rubbed my cheekbone.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
![]()
Now she got her thumbs underneath the tape.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
Hispanics gave them the thumbs down, 69% to 31%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
You cannot apply logic to his work — every choice thumbs its nose at the real world — and I rarely like the overall result.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
After the first defendant, O'Dare was sentenced and taken into the dock, people in the public gallery shouted "love you Ash" and gave thumbs up and shouts of support.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
She tore away from him, panting, then turned and began to run back the way they had come, her thumbs over her ears, her hands blinker-ing her eyes.
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
![]()
He has largely thumbed his nose at them over the Epstein files.
From Salon ● Mar. 29, 2026
In October, I thumbed through snapshots my mother had stashed in albums, envelopes and shoeboxes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025
As they thumbed through the vinyl records, one of the preteens said, “Dad, what’s that?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 28, 2025
McCartney was surrounded by an assortment of espionage books that event workers thumbed through during less bustling moments.
From New York Times ● Jun. 18, 2024
Yossarian thumbed his nose at Major Danby and laughed with smug elation.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
![]()
The speed of that reversal makes it tempting to see the latest ruling as a district judge thumbing her nose at the high court.
From Slate ● Aug. 31, 2026
If you are thumbing through the brochure/paperwork, it will be there in black and white.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 24, 2026
Christina Ramberg and Martha Edelheit upend notions of sexiness in their paintings, thumbing their noses at the “male gaze.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2025
He points out that engineers are no different from the rest of us when it comes to thumbing through a manual.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2024
In a flash, Rhoda was out of her chair, kneeling by Beto and thumbing away his tears.
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
![]()
Vocabulary lists containing thumb
Road Home
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Lesson 16
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!