THUMBED Synonyms: 18 Similar and Opposite Words

thumbed

verb

past tense of thumb

as in hitched

to travel by securing free rides thought I'd thumb into town instead of paying for a cab

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in flipped

to turn over pages in an idle or cursory manner I thumbed through the book during the flight but was too distracted to really read it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of thumbed Vonn thumbed her nose at the odds. — Frederick Dreier, Outside, 9 Feb. 2026 Caleb Foster thumbed over his shoulder to move Cam Boozer. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 28 Mar. 2026 House lawyers argued that Bannon had thumbed his nose at the committee and ignored the subpoena. — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 9 Feb. 2026 Even games with anti-cheat that thumbed their nose at Linux and the Steam Deck are now supporting Windows on Arm, too. — Sean Hollister, The Verge, 1 June 2026 McCain first thumbed the pages en route to the Tarkanian Classic, a notable high school tournament in Las Vegas. — Joel Lorenzi, New York Times, 23 May 2026 When the Chicago Tribune went after him, stirring up the first of many federal, state, and local investigations into Robinson's activities, Noah thumbed his nose. — Gail Sheehy, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026 Since the late 1970s, victories at the bargaining table have been less frequent, and UFW leaders admit ranchers thumbed their noses during contract negotiations, daring them to strike. — Marcos Breton, Sacbee.com, 24 Mar. 2026 Emin’s masterpiece thumbed its nose at a tradition of recumbent feminine flesh on tousled white sheets (think Titian’s Venus of Urbino, Manet’s Olympia, or any number of bosomy Lucian Freud nudes). — Literary Hub, 21 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for thumbed

Verb

But when her big bro Sherlock (Henry Cavill) goes missing during the festivities, Enola pauses getting hitched to find him and also unearth a military cover-up.

— Brian Truitt, USA Today, 3 July 2026
With both the bride and groom wearing Christian Dior haute couture and Christian Louboutin shoes, the 14x Grammy winner and 3x Super Bowl champion were hitched within the last half hour at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

— Dominic Patten, Deadline, 3 July 2026

Definition of hitched

Verb

Two people were killed and another 20 people were injured when a coach bus carrying passengers crashed into other vehicles and flipped over a median into oncoming traffic late the night of June 29, authorities in New York said.

— Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 30 June 2026
Two cars were severely damaged after a bus flipped over and crushed them on the Long Island Expressway.

— Christina Fan, CBS News, 30 June 2026

Definition of flipped

Verb

My hair, which reached beyond my ribs, skimmed the skin of my waist exposed by the cutouts.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 29 June 2026
The delicate skirt skimmed her frame in weightless mesh, finished with floral lace appliqués and a silk charmeuse waistband that offered just enough coverage while maintaining the airy feel.

— Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 29 June 2026