thousand

noun

thou·​sand ˈthau̇-zᵊn(d) 

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 

adjective or adverb

thousandth

ˈthau̇-zᵊn(t)th 

adjective or noun

Examples of thousand in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The slow rate at which this is occurring indicates this cosmic vampirism will last for hundreds of thousands to billions of years. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 8 Oct. 2026

Last year, the Republican administration began suddenly terminating the legal status of thousands of international students, detaining and deporting many of them. — Annie Ma, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2026

Manteca sits along a major route between the Bay Area and the Sierra, meaning thousands of drivers travel through the city every day, according to police. — Nina Burns, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026

Hair products and clinic visits can run into hundreds or thousands of dollars. — Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Oct. 2026

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

Phrases Containing thousand

• a picture is worth a thousand words
• bat a thousand
• never/not in a thousand/million/billion years
• thousand-legger

Kids Definition

thousand

noun

thou·​sand ˈthau̇z-ᵊn(d) 

plural thousands or thousand

1

: a number equal to 10 times 100 see number

2

: a very large number

thousands of ants

thousand adjective