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.
Since erupting Saturday, three fires in Spokane County have destroyed more than 700 structures, displaced tens of thousands of residents and threatened communities. — Karina Tsui, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026 Blame has been pointed the other way, however, with Spain’s Defense Minister Margarita Robles on Monday demanding Rabat, Morocco, investigate the local failure to stop tens of thousands of migrants from leaving the kingdom. — Sam McNeil, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2026 But her yard, like thousands of others, had been cleaned up, the neighbor said. — Chris Bowling, ProPublica, 4 Aug. 2026 The date stood out to Browning, who’d lost thousands in anticipated shillings when 584 steerage and 253 second-class passengers chose drowning in a Canadian river over registering at one of his boarding houses near the port of Liverpool. — Claire Carusillo, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 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 5 Aug. 2026.

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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

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Nglish: Translation of thousand for Spanish Speakers

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