thousand

noun

thou·​sand ˈthau̇-zᵊn(d) How to pronounce thousand (audio)
plural thousands or thousand
1
: a number equal to 10 times 100 see Table of Numbers
2
: a very large number
thousands of ants
thousand adjective
thousandfold
ˈthau̇-zᵊn(d)-ˌfōld How to pronounce thousand (audio)
adjective or adverb
thousandth
ˈthau̇-zᵊn(t)th How to pronounce thousand (audio)
adjective or noun

Examples of thousand in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
My teenage aunts, entrusted with the care of thousands of white larvae feasting on lush, thick mulberry leaves, had to get up in the middle of the night to scatter more leaves into the trays. — Jonathan Flint, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026 Kalshi is an online betting market that facilitates wagers on thousands of different events and potential events in politics, sports, and the economy, among other things. — Erin Mansfield, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026 The possibility that the shooter endangered thousands of people at the rally is also an important distinction under Utah law. — Bill Chappell, NPR, 1 Sep. 2026 The company didn’t provide specific figures, but 7 million glasses were sold in 2025, and with this year’s sales so far, that puts the likely number of offenders in the thousands. — J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 1 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for thousand

Word History

Etymology

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 entry 1

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of thousand was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing thousand

Browse Nearby Words

Thoulet solution
thousand
thousandfold
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Thousand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thousand. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

thousand

noun
thou·​sand ˈthau̇z-ᵊn(d) How to pronounce thousand (audio)
plural thousands or thousand
1
: a number equal to 10 times 100 see number
2
: a very large number
thousands of ants
thousand adjective
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of apiary

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All