thumb
gb/θˈʌm/ us/θˈʌm/
A1
Angličtina
~ 7800
Významy
0 významů
Podstatné jméno
A1
entity
1
short, thick first finger
The short, thick finger on the side of your hand that helps you hold things.
Vzorec užití:
someone's thumb
Častá chyba:
Learners sometimes think 'thumb' is not a kind of finger and say things like 'four fingers and a thumb.' In everyday English, people often say 'five fingers,' but it is also correct to say 'four fingers and a thumb' when you want to be precise.
Synonyma
finger (A more general word; the thumb is a special type of finger and is often distinguished from the other fingers.)
Kolokace
suck your thumb
|thumb injury
|broken thumb
|thumb joint
|opposable thumb
|thumb and index finger
Témata
body
|health
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Příklady
- He cut his thumb while chopping vegetables.
- The baby fell asleep sucking her thumb.
- She pressed her thumb on the screen to unlock the phone.
- His right thumb is much stronger after months of physical therapy.
- I gave a quick thumbs-up with my thumb to show I agreed.
Učební příklady
- I hurt my thumb playing basketball.
- The baby puts his thumb in his mouth.
- She uses her thumb to press the button.
- My left thumb is bigger than my right thumb.
- He wears a ring on his thumb.
Sloveso
B1
action
2
flip through pages quickly
To move the pages of a book or magazine fast with your thumb, without reading every page.
Vzorec užití:
to thumb through [a book/magazine]
Častá chyba:
Learners sometimes say *'thumb the book'* when they mean *'thumb through the book.'* The verb is usually followed by 'through' when talking about turning many pages quickly.
Synonyma
leaf through (Very close in meaning, but slightly more neutral and less physical-sounding than 'thumb through.')
Antonyma
study (To read something very carefully and in detail, the opposite of quickly thumbing through it.)
Kolokace
thumb through a magazine
|thumb through a book
|thumb through the pages
|thumbed through the file
Témata
reading
|daily life
|education
|communication
|daily_life
Příklady
- She thumbed through the magazine while waiting for her appointment.
- He quickly thumbed through the report to find the sales figures.
- I spent a few minutes thumbing through the book before deciding to buy it.
- The editor thumbed through the manuscript, stopping at the highlighted parts.
- He thumbed through the file, looking for her name.
Učební příklady
- She thumbed through the book in the store.
- He thumbed through the pages to find the photo.
- I like to thumb through magazines in the café.
- The teacher thumbed through my notebook.
- He thumbed through the file on his desk.
Sloveso
informal
B2
action
3
get a ride by hitchhiking
To stand next to a road and hold out your thumb to ask a driver to take you in their car for free.
Vzorec užití:
to thumb a ride to [a place]
Častá chyba:
Learners may confuse this with simply 'raising your thumb' for approval. 'Thumb a ride' is specifically about hitchhiking, not about saying yes or showing you like something.
Synonyma
hitchhike (The standard, more common verb for traveling by asking drivers for free rides.)
Antonyma
drive (To travel by controlling your own vehicle instead of asking others for a ride.)
Kolokace
thumb a ride
|thumb lifts
|thumb our way home
Témata
travel
|daily life
|transportation
Příklady
- They spent the summer thumbing rides across Europe.
- He ran out of money and had to thumb a ride back to the city.
- We thumbed our way to the festival in two days.
- She used to thumb rides to school when she missed the bus.
- After his car broke down, he thumbed a ride to the nearest town.
Učební příklady
- They thumbed a ride to the next town.
- He had no money, so he thumbed a ride home.
- We decided to thumb rides on our trip.
- She sometimes thumbs a ride to work.
- He stood by the road and thumbed for a car.
Sloveso
B2
action
4
press or handle with thumb
To press or move something with your thumb.
Vzorec užití:
to thumb [a device/button/message]
Častá chyba:
Learners may try to use 'thumb' for any kind of touching. In this sense, it is most natural when you clearly use your thumb, often with devices like phones, remotes, or buttons, not for general touching or holding.
Synonyma
press (A more general verb; does not specifically suggest using the thumb the way 'thumb' does.)
Antonyma
release (To stop pressing or let go of something after thumbing or pressing it.)
Kolokace
thumb the remote
|thumb a message
|thumb the screen
|thumb the volume button
Témata
technology
|daily life
|body
|daily_life
Příklady
- He thumbed the remote until he found the sports channel.
- She thumbed a quick reply on her phone under the table.
- The guard thumbed the intercom button and asked who was there.
- He absentmindedly thumbed the edge of his ticket while he waited.
- She thumbed the volume down as the baby fell asleep.
Učební příklady
- He thumbed the button on the wall.
- She thumbed a text message to her friend.
- He sat on the sofa and thumbed the remote.
- She thumbed the screen to turn it on.
- He thumbed the key in the lock.
Podstatné jméno
B1
entity
5
thumb section of a glove
The part of a glove or mitten made for your thumb.
Vzorec užití:
the thumb of [a glove/mitten]
Synonyma
thumb-piece (A more technical or less common term; mainly used in clothing and design contexts.)
Kolokace
thumb of the glove
|mitten thumb
|sewn-in thumb
|hole in the thumb
Témata
clothing
|daily life
|body
|daily_life
Příklady
- There was a hole in the thumb of his glove.
- The mitten's thumb is too short for my hand.
- She caught the thumb of her glove on a nail and tore it.
- These work gloves have a reinforced thumb for extra protection.
- The pattern includes separate pieces for the fingers and the thumb.
Učební příklady
- There is a hole in the thumb of my glove.
- This mitten has a very big thumb.
- The thumb of the glove is too tight.
- She sewed the thumb of his mitten.
- He put his thumb into the thumb of the glove.
Gramatika
Slovníkový tvar
thumb
IPA
GB/θˈʌm/
US/θˈʌm/
Slabiky a přízvuk
thumb (1 slabika)
Stress on 1st syllable (thumb)
Tvary slova
Noun
- Base: thumb
- Plural: thumbs
Verb
- Base: thumb
- 3rd Person Singular: thumbs
- Present Participle: thumbing
- Past: thumbed
Příbuzná slova
Forms
thumbs
noun
thumbing
verb
thumbed
verb
Core family
thumbnail
noun B1
Related words
thumbprint
noun
thumbtack
noun
Výrazy
a green thumb
1/ə ɡɹˈin θˈʌm/
idiom
informal
talent for gardening
A natural skill for growing healthy plants.
Příklady
- My grandmother has a real green thumb; everything she plants grows.
- If you don't have a green thumb, start with easy houseplants.
be all thumbs
1/bˈi ˈɔl θˈʌmz/
idiom
informal
be very clumsy
To be very bad at using your hands, so you drop things or do small tasks badly.
Příklady
- I'm all thumbs today—I keep dropping everything.
- He was all thumbs when he tried to fix the watch.
thumb a ride
1/θˈʌm ə ɹˈaɪd/
fixed phrase
informal
get a ride by hitchhiking
To stand by a road and hold out your thumb to ask for a free ride in a passing car.
Příklady
- They decided to thumb a ride to the beach.
- He thumbed a ride after missing the last bus home.
thumb through
1/θˈʌm θɹˈu/
phrasal verb
turn pages quickly
To move through the pages of a book or magazine quickly with your thumb, not reading every page.
Příklady
- She thumbed through the catalogue, looking for ideas.
- He thumbed through his notes before the exam.
thumb your nose at
1/θˈʌm jˈʊɹ nˈoʊz ˈæt/
idiom
informal
openly show disrespect
To show that you do not respect someone or something, often in a very clear or rude way.
Příklady
- The company thumbed its nose at regulations by ignoring the safety rules.
- He thumbed his nose at tradition and did the wedding his own way.
thumbs down
1/θˈʌmz dˈaʊn/
fixed phrase
sign of disapproval
A sign or gesture that means you do not like something or do not agree with it, made by pointing your thumb down.
Příklady
- Critics gave the new movie a thumbs down.
- The boss gave my idea a firm thumbs down.
thumbs up
1/θˈʌmz ˈʌp/
fixed phrase
sign of approval
A sign or gesture that means you like something or agree with it, made by raising your thumb.
Příklady
- The manager gave the project a thumbs up.
- He sent me a thumbs-up emoji to show he agreed.
twiddle your thumbs
1/twˈɪdəl jˈʊɹ θˈʌmz/
idiom
informal
wait doing nothing
To wait and do nothing useful, often feeling bored.
Příklady
- We were left twiddling our thumbs in the waiting room for an hour.
- The staff just twiddled their thumbs while the computers were down.
under someone's thumb
1/ˈʌndɚ sˈʌmwˌʌnz θˈʌm/
idiom
informal
controlled by someone
Completely controlled by someone else so that you cannot act freely.
Příklady
- He is totally under his boss's thumb.
- For years she was under her partner's thumb and could not make her own decisions.
rule of thumb
1/ɹˈul əv θˈʌm/
idiom
general practical guideline
A simple general rule that people use in normal life, not a strict or exact rule.
Příklady
- As a rule of thumb, you should save at least ten percent of your income.
- A good rule of thumb is to add one extra minute of cooking time for every hundred watts less power.
rule of thumb
2/ɹˈul əv θˈʌm/
idiom
Practical general guideline
A simple way to judge or decide something based on experience, not exact facts.
Příklady
- As a rule of thumb, add two minutes for each extra kilometer.
- A good rule of thumb is to save 10% of your income.
stick out like a sore thumb
3/stˈɪk ˈaʊt lˈaɪk ə sˈɔɹ θˈʌm/
idiom
informal
Be very noticeable in a bad way
To be very easy to see, in a way that looks strange or wrong.
Příklady
- That bright shirt sticks out like a sore thumb at the funeral.
- His style sticks out like a sore thumb in this office.
stick out like a sore thumb
4/stˈɪk ˈaʊt lˈaɪk ə sˈɔɹ θˈʌm/
idiom
informal
be very noticeable
To be very easy to see because you are very different from the things or people around you.
Příklady
- In that small village, her bright pink sports car stuck out like a sore thumb.
- His casual clothes stuck out like a sore thumb at the formal dinner.