thousand

[ thou-zuhnd ]

noun

, plural thou·sands, (as after a numeral) thou·sand.

1. a cardinal number, 10 times 100.
2. a symbol for this number, as 1000 or M.
3. thousands. the numbers between 1000 and 999,999, as in referring to an amount of money:

   Property damage was in the thousands.

4. a great number or amount.
5. Also thousand's place.
   1. (in a mixed number) the position of the fourth digit to the left of the decimal point.
   2. (in a whole number) the position of the fourth digit from the right.

adjective

1. amounting to 1000 in number.

thousand

/ ˈθaʊzənd /

noun

1. the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100 See also number
2. a numeral, 1000, 10³, M, etc, representing this number
3. often plural a very large but unspecified number, amount, or quantity

   they are thousands of miles away

4. plural the numbers 2000–9999

   the price of the picture was in the thousands

5. the amount or quantity that is one hundred times greater than ten
6. something represented by, representing, or consisting of 1000 units
7. maths the position containing a digit representing that number followed by three zeros

   in 4760, 4 is in the thousand's place

determiner

1. 1. amounting to a thousand

      a thousand ships

   2. ( as pronoun )

      a thousand is hardly enough

2. amounting to 1000 times a particular scientific unit

Word History and Origins

Origin of thousand¹

before 900; Middle English; Old English thūsend; cognate with Dutch duizend, Old High German dūsunt, Old Norse thūsund, Gothic thūsindi

Word History and Origins

Origin of thousand¹

Old English thūsend; related to Old Saxon thūsind, Old High German thūsunt, Old Norse thūsund

Idioms and Phrases

see bat a thousand ; by the dozen (thousand) ; one in a million (thousand) ; picture is worth a thousand words .

Example Sentences

Meanwhile, DaMart’s longtime friend Pamela O’Kane, who lives in Thousand Oaks, surveyed the scene in disbelief: Not more than a few hundred feet away, other homes stood virtually unscathed.

From Los Angeles Times

“Even a small boost in arts funding could have a major impact, creating more than a thousand new jobs across Wales,” she said.

From BBC

Typically, such broker fees range from 10% to 15% of a tenant’s annual rent; in a city where the average monthly rent is currently $3,898 per month, renters often must pay several thousand dollars just to move.

From Salon

In Orange County’s 45th Congressional District, where the contentious battle between GOP Rep. Michelle Steel and Democratic challenger Derek Tran may come down to a few thousand votes, volunteers are gearing up to work nearly 40 hours to cure ballots until the Dec. 1 deadline.

From Los Angeles Times

The post continued: “His Grand Immortal Dictator wishes to celebrate our rich and storied culture, fine foods, and musical entertainments by welcoming you to these great demonstrations of power and resolve. And lending voice and song for the first time in six thousand two hundred and forty six days, their work privilege ceremoniously reinstated, will be His Grand Immortal Dictator’s National Band… The Black Parade.”

From Los Angeles Times