HOW TO PRONOUNCE
thumb
/θʌm/
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American Pronunciation Guide · 1:03
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End with m rather than b.
Use the th in thin. Finish with m and leave the b silent.
TRY SAYING
“A thumb on the page.”
APG practice sentence · CC BY-SA 4.0
CMU Pronouncing Dictionary ↗What does thumb mean?
noun
- The shortest and thickest digit of the hand that for humans has the most mobility and can be made to oppose (moved to touch) all of the other fingers.
- The part of a slider that may be moved linearly along the slider.
- A thumbnail picture.
More meanings (9)
noun
- A top hatch plate for covering an excavator bucket, used to keep material in the digger bucket after scooping it up, and not letting it spill out.
verb
- To touch or cover with the thumb.
- To turn the pages of (a book) in order to read it cursorily.
- To gesture with the thumb, for example when flagging a ride.
- To hitchhike.
- To soil or wear with the thumb or the fingers; to soil, or wear out, by frequent handling.
- To manipulate (an object) with the thumb; especially, to pull back the hammer or open the cylinder of a revolver.
- To fire (a single action revolver) quickly by pulling the hammer while keeping the trigger depressed.
proper noun
- (informal) The eastern part of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, United States (the "Mitten").
Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0
IPA pronunciation
/θʌm/
Pronunciation used in the listening tip.
CMU Pronouncing Dictionary ↗Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.
In the pages of books
See this word in context.
Locksley returned almost instantly with a willow wand about six feet in length, perfectly straight, and rather thicker than a man’s thumb.
She likewise practises to the present time the peculiar habit of rubbing together, when impatient, her thumb and two of her fore-fingers.
More book examples (3)
Of the six persons practicing addition, five of us also practiced the making of a maximum grip with a thumb and forefinger.
“And now, Doctor, perhaps you would kindly attend to my thumb, or rather to the place where my thumb used to be.”
The animal at once dropped the thumb, and it was picked up by a companion who accompanied the man to the hospital.