THUMBED Synonyms: 18 Similar and Opposite Words

thumbed

verb

past tense of thumb

as in hitched

to travel by securing free rides thought I'd thumb into town instead of paying for a cab

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in flipped

to turn over pages in an idle or cursory manner I thumbed through the book during the flight but was too distracted to really read it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of thumbed Even games with anti-cheat that thumbed their nose at Linux and the Steam Deck are now supporting Windows on Arm, too. — Sean Hollister, The Verge, 1 June 2026 McCain first thumbed the pages en route to the Tarkanian Classic, a notable high school tournament in Las Vegas. — Joel Lorenzi, New York Times, 23 May 2026 Emin’s masterpiece thumbed its nose at a tradition of recumbent feminine flesh on tousled white sheets (think Titian’s Venus of Urbino, Manet’s Olympia, or any number of bosomy Lucian Freud nudes). — Literary Hub, 21 Apr. 2026 Caleb Foster thumbed over his shoulder to move Cam Boozer. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 28 Mar. 2026 Since the late 1970s, victories at the bargaining table have been less frequent, and UFW leaders admit ranchers thumbed their noses during contract negotiations, daring them to strike. — Marcos Breton, Sacbee.com, 24 Mar. 2026 When the Chicago Tribune went after him, stirring up the first of many federal, state, and local investigations into Robinson's activities, Noah thumbed his nose. — Gail Sheehy, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026 House lawyers argued that Bannon had thumbed his nose at the committee and ignored the subpoena. — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 9 Feb. 2026 Vonn thumbed her nose at the odds. — Frederick Dreier, Outside, 9 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for thumbed

Verb

But Coyote has hitched his hopes for the mammoth case upon a man who could only be called a coward.

— Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
Looks like an entire orbital launchpad could be hitched to a semi-truck and driven anywhere on Earth, thanks to space launch provider Rocket Lab.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of hitched

Verb

The video traded the genre’s typical easy-breezy style for a mashup of clips where flames rose, expletives flew, and Tiedemann flipped the bird toward the camera at every opportunity.

— CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 26 Aug. 2026
In September 2025, its Leawood location flipped its concept into LaPez Mod Mex, a slightly more upscale version of the Southern California-Mexican brand.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of flipped

Verb

The cream that has been skimmed and separated from the milk has about 36% to 40% milk fat.

— Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Aug. 2026
The actor arrived in a regal sky blue high-neck top with a long cascading train and clashing red lining — custom designed by Prabal Gurung — offset with a casual pair of low slung, non-maternity jeans by La Ligne that skimmed just under her bump.

— Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026