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.
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"Always ask, would you put the same thing in an email?" he says, as a rule of thumb.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
Global expansion could be the ultimate test of A7’s ability to thumb its nose at Western financial gatekeepers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
One rule of thumb in investing is that the older one gets, the more conservative the investment portfolio should be in order to prevent stock-market volatility from wrecking retirement plans.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
A Mediterranean summer on fire has become a genre now, a seasonal rerun we thumb past on the way to something else.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026
Michael had woken up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and had seen Ridge asleep, a sheen of sweat on his forehead, with his thumb resting on the scanner.
From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly
As he walked in to court, he refused to answer questions but gave a thumbs up and said: "Wish me luck guys. See you soon, hopefully."
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
A few days later, a woman stood outside the window – gesturing a thumbs down.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
How have they built entire cities and extensive infrastructure with no thumbs?
From Salon ● Jun. 6, 2026
I had been a serial apartment dweller with limited outdoor space, so I never knew the color of my thumbs.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2026
Will backed the car, turned it around, looked out the window to give them the thumbs up signal, and drove away.
From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt
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
Guests thumbed through the order of service, which one Muslim guest in the pews said was “very helpful” for navigating the Christian ceremony.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 3, 2024
He pulled out a directory and thumbed through it.
From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt
If you are thumbing through the brochure/paperwork, it will be there in black and white.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 24, 2026
And arm yourself with simple pantry staples that you can graze on lazily, ideally while peeling a clementine and thumbing a paperback.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 8, 2026
Taking in “Martha” is as soothing as thumbing through the glossy pages of Living, with its parade of touched-up artfully arranged photographs interspersed with archival footage and illustrations serving as tasteful alternatives to reenactments.
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2024
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
“Keth-Selhan? Lord boy, someone’s been thumbing their nose at you.”
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
Vocabulary lists containing thumb
Road Home
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Lesson 16
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