First Known Use: before 12th century
Dictionary
thousand
noun thou·sand \ˈthau̇-zən(d)\
: the number 1,000
thousands : an amount that is more than 2,000
: a very large number
plural thousands or thousand
Full Definition of THOUSAND
1
— see number table
2
: a very large number <thousands of ants>
— thousand adjective
— thou·sand·fold \-zən(d)-ˌfōld\ adjective or adverb
— thou·sandth \-zən(t)th\ adjective or noun
See thousand defined for English-language learners
See thousand defined for kids
ADVERTISEMENT
Origin of THOUSAND
Middle English, from Old English thūsend; akin to Old High German dūsunt thousand, Lithuanian tūkstantis, and probably to Sanskrit tavas strong, Latin tumēre to swell — more at thumb
Other Number-Related Terms
THOUSANDS Defined for Kids
1thousand
noun thou·sand \ˈthau̇-zənd\
Definition of THOUSAND for Kids
1
: ten times one hundred : 1000
2
: a very large number <thousands of things to do>
Headscratcher for THOUSAND
is the first number whose name is spelled using an a. That means that you can count from zero to nine-hundred, ninety-nine without ever using an a!
2thousand
adjective
Definition of THOUSAND for Kids
: being 1000
Learn More About THOUSAND
Browse
Next Word in the Dictionary: thousand–headed cabbagePrevious Word in the Dictionary: Thoulet solutionAll Words Near: thousand
ADVERTISEMENT
Seen & Heard
What made you want to look up thousand? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).