How to Use thumbtack in a Sentence

thumbtack

noun
  • Flip the paper over, and use a pin or thumbtack to poke a small hole in the foil.
    — Jennifer Dixon, Detroit Free Press, 8 Apr. 2024
  • Just gently press a thumbtack all the way into the wide end of the egg.
    — Paul Stephen, San Antonio Express-News, 22 Mar. 2021
  • Then using the pushpin thumbtack, poke holes up and down the bag.
    — Jeanette Marantosstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2023
  • One of the tables was on fire, one was covered in thumbtacks and the last with light bulbs.
    — Phillip M. Bailey, The Courier-Journal, 11 Jan. 2018
  • Make sure the pinwheel is held securely but can still turn on the thumbtack.
    — Megan Arnett, Scientific American, 29 Mar. 2018
  • To pin, run your cursor over the email in your inbox and click the thumbtack icon, which will bold when clicked.
    — Danielle Abril, Washington Post, 9 Nov. 2023
  • With the help of an adult, push your thumbtack through the sticker or tape at the center of the pinwheel.
    — Megan Arnett, Scientific American, 29 Mar. 2018
  • With the help of an adult stick the thumbtack through the mark on each strip until all four strips are attached to the tack.
    — Megan Arnett, Scientific American, 29 Mar. 2018
  • Step on a thumbtack, and your brain senses the pain within a fraction of a second.
    — Douglas Fox, Scientific American, 1 Apr. 2018
  • Collages securely affixed to the wall with nary a tape mark or thumbtack hole in sight.
    — Hadley Keller, House Beautiful, 16 May 2019
  • Take two sheets of paper, or a stiff notecard, and use a thumbtack to poke a smooth round hole in the middle.
    — Paul Rogers, The Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2024
  • Rotate the pieces and cut them crosswise into a medium dice (about the size of a thumbtack).
    — Chris Ross, sandiegouniontribune.com, 26 Mar. 2018
  • To achieve smooth curves, create a compass with a thumbtack, string, and a pencil to guide your design.
    — Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Nov. 2022
  • Push in 4 yellow thumbtacks for eyes; draw pupils with black permanent marker.
    — Woman's Day Staff, Woman's Day, 25 July 2018
  • Now the mezzanine looks as if it had been moved on a trailer from some other building and attached with thumbtacks.
    — Pete Wells, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2017
  • The methyl group acts like a tiny thumbtack set out on the seat the antibiotic was hoping to take, Polikanov said.
    — Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2024
  • Passing, shooting, dribbling and defense are all mapped to both thumbtacks, the left and right triggers, and a few of the face buttons.
    — Brittany Vincent, CNN Underscored, 10 Sep. 2019
  • Over the course of the film, Hunter ingests a number of items including a marble, a battery, a thumbtack and dirt.
    — Anne Cohen, refinery29.com, 6 Mar. 2020
  • Alternatively, simply push a thumbtack through the top edge of the magnetic wall pad for a more secure hold.
    — Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Oct. 2021
  • Create a makeshift compass for curved lines or circular shapes by placing a thumbtack in the center and using a piece of string pulled taut to guide your pencil.
    — Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 July 2023
  • For curved lines or circular shapes, create a makeshift compass by placing a thumbtack in the center and using a piece of string pulled taut to guide your pencil.
    — Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 July 2023
  • This year, more than ever, is shaping up to be one of talking rats, thumbtack swords, and making entire meals out of feta cheese crumbles, both in and out of gaming.
    — Pearse Anderson, Wired, 9 Sep. 2021
  • There are five main compartments for all your pens and pencils, but our favorite parts of this caddy are the two smaller compartments that are perfect for paper clips or thumbtacks.
    — Popular Science, 5 Apr. 2020
  • Dollander experienced a rookie season that ranked somewhere between eating thumbtacks and rubbing a cheese grater on shins.
    — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 3 Mar. 2026
  • Rothman’s Department Store, a bric-a-brac shop that has sold everything from thumbtacks to toasters since 1918, has moved down the block.
    — Julie Satow, New York Times, 18 May 2018
  • His father-in-law, Stanley (Tom Hanks, acting as if someone filled his shoes with thumbtacks), eventually jumps in his Cadillac and drives into the desert to join them as well.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 24 May 2023
  • Or should the women just bring their bloody sanitary napkins into an emergency room so the hospitals — who are pinned with responsibility in the language of the legislation — can fashion a thumbtack-sized coffin?
    — Monica Hesse, Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2019
  • Soon, it's joined by other items—a stickpin, a lock, a AA battery, a thumbtack—as Hunter undertakes a daring and increasingly dangerous mission of self-reconstitution.
    — Isaac Feldberg, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2020

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thumbtack.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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