thin

1 of 3

adjective

thinner; thinnest
1
a
: having little extent from one surface to its opposite
thin paper
b
: measuring little in cross section or diameter
thin rope
2
: not dense in arrangement or distribution
thin hair
3
: not well fleshed : lean
4
a
: more fluid or rarefied than normal
thin air
b
: having less than the usual number : scanty
thin attendance
c
: few in number : scarce
d
: scantily supplied
e
: characterized by a paucity of bids or offerings
a thin market
5
a
: lacking substance or strength
thin broth
a thin plot
b
of a soil : infertile, poor
6
a
: flimsy, unconvincing
a thin disguise
b
: disappointingly poor or hard
had a thin time of it
7
: somewhat feeble, shrill, and lacking in resonance
a thin voice
8
: lacking in intensity or brilliance
thin light
9
: lacking sufficient photographic density or contrast
thinly adverb
thinness noun
thinnish adjective

thin

2 of 3

verb

thinned; thinning

transitive verb

: to make thin or thinner:
a
: to reduce in thickness or depth : attenuate
b
: to make less dense or viscous
c
d
: to cause to lose flesh
thinned by weeks of privation
e
: to reduce in number or bulk

intransitive verb

1
: to become thin or thinner
2
: to become weak

thin

3 of 3

adverb

thinner; thinnest
: in a thin manner : thinly
used especially in combination
thin-clad
thin-flowing
Phrases
thin on the ground
Choose the Right Synonym for thin

thin, slender, slim, slight, tenuous mean not thick, broad, abundant, or dense.

thin implies comparatively little extension between surfaces or in diameter, or it may imply lack of substance, richness, or abundance.

thin wire
a thin soup

slender implies leanness or spareness often with grace and good proportion.

the slender legs of a Sheraton chair

slim applies to slenderness that suggests fragility or scantiness.

a slim volume of poetry
a slim chance

slight implies smallness as well as thinness.

a slight build

tenuous implies extreme thinness, sheerness, or lack of substance and firmness.

a tenuous thread

Examples of thin in a Sentence

Adjective a thin coating of dust pizza with a thin crust a thin slice of ham a thin stand of trees Verb He added a little more water to thin the gravy. The haze thinned in the late afternoon. His face has been thinned by illness. Adverb She sliced the cheese thin.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The water pressure then causes the vehicle to rise and slide on a thin layer of water between the tires and the road, making the driver lose control. Star-Telegram Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Mar. 2024 Charlotte-area elections that finished with thin margins include county-level races in Cabarrus, Gaston and Iredell counties as well as a state legislature seat. Kendrick Marshall, Charlotte Observer, 7 Mar. 2024 Morgan Stanley’s Adam Jonas was so concerned about Rivian stretching itself too thin last month that the analyst looked for any signal that plans to build a dedicated R2 factory in Georgia for $5 billion had changed in light of the recent EV market slowdown. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024 Initially, it's wrapped in a thin red fruit that's peeled off during the cleaning process. Jaina Grey, WIRED, 7 Mar. 2024 Instead of solid wood, their trunks were thin and hollow. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 7 Mar. 2024 Conversely, the thinner the line the less the current can affect it, so by default, a bait or tiny lure presented on light line will appear more natural. Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 7 Mar. 2024 Skies are mostly bright and beautiful, though some high, thin clouds could come through at times. Molly Robey, Washington Post, 25 Feb. 2024 With this razor thin threshold in Marion County, her opponents would need only one successful challenge to disqualify her from the ballot. Brittany Carloni, The Indianapolis Star, 23 Feb. 2024
Verb
The soup should be brothy—add hot water to thin it if necessary. Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Feb. 2024 Industry observers also say the gap between Orlando’s biggest park operators appears to be thinning. Dewayne Bevil, Orange County Register, 5 Feb. 2024 Red lentils subbed in nicely for the green, and tomato paste thinned with broth replaced the tomato sauce. Rita Nader Heikenfeld, The Enquirer, 5 Jan. 2024 While Míchel’s side had proven to be deep in previously undiscovered talent, its defense has been thinned after apparently minor injuries to Éric García and David López. Joseph Wilson, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2024 In most cases, hair growth with thinning shampoo usage will typically grow back at a speed of ½ an inch per month. Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 2 Feb. 2024 Roles for the great dancing stars, sadly, thinned out, as musicals in the contemporary era turned to more dramatic themes. Peter Marks, Washington Post, 31 Jan. 2024 As the ranks of the royals have thinned, William’s family has come to the foreground at events like the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and the coronation of Charles. Mark Landler, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2024 Injuries to the Sharks and Barracuda have thinned out both team’s rosters to some degree. Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2024
Adverb
With the majority so thin, McCarthy effectively gave Gaetz the power to remove him. Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024 Some like small strips of pastry dropped into the bubbling pot, either free-form and puffy or rolled thin and cut like noodles. Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 30 Dec. 2023 As Pakistan approaches fresh elections on Feb. 8, the 71-year-old’s chances of a comeback appear gossamer thin, despite retaining broad public support. Charlie Campbell, TIME, 17 Jan. 2024 Border enforcement resources have been stretched thin, resulting in reallocation of agents to assist with processing asylum requests. Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Jan. 2024 With as many recruits as teams bring in, the social teams can be spread thin trying to photograph every family. Kevin Reynolds, The Salt Lake Tribune, 19 Sep. 2023 The colors are flat, the lines uniform and thin, the pages strict grids of small panels. Gabriel Winslow-Yost, The New York Review of Books, 29 June 2023 The very deepest lows thin out somewhat at maximum volume levels (digital signal processing, or DSP, kicks in to prevent distortion), but the speaker still gets plenty loud and produces full, deep bass at moderate volume settings. PCMAG, 18 Sep. 2023 Putin seeks further support for his war in Ukraine as military resources are stretched thin, while Kim's regime is pushing for assistance with its space program and its desiccated economy. Anders Hagstrom, Fox News, 13 Sep. 2023

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

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English thin, thinne, going back to Old English þynne, going back to Germanic *þunnu- (assimilated to the -ja-stem adjectives in West Germanic, whence Middle Dutch dunne "thin," Old High German dunni, against Old Norse þunnr), generalized from a paradigm *þenu-, *þunw-a-, going back to Indo-European *ténh2u-, *tn̥h2u̯ó-, whence also, from with a base *tenh2u-, *tn̥h2u- with varying ablaut and suffixation, Old Irish tanae "thin, slender," Old Welsh teneu, Middle Breton tanau, Latin tenuis "fine-drawn, thin, narrow, slight," Greek tanu- "extended, long," tanaós "outstretched, long," Old Church Slavic tĭnŭkŭ "fine, delicate," Russian tónkij "thin," Croatian & Serbian tȁnak, Lithuanian tę́vas, Sanskrit tanúḥ, tánukaḥ "thin, small"

Note: Indo-European *tenh2u-, *tn̥h2u- is usually taken to be a derivative of the verbal base *ten- "stretch, extend"; see tenant entry 1.

Verb

Middle English thinnen, going back to Old English þynnian, derivative of þynne thin entry 1

Adverb

Middle English thynne, derivative of thin, thinne thin entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Adverb

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of thin was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near thin

Cite this Entry

“Thin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thin. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

thin

1 of 2 adjective
thinner; thinnest
1
: having little extent from one surface to its opposite
thin paper
2
: having widely scattered units
thin hair
3
: having too little flesh
a tall thin boy
4
: less dense than normal
thin air
5
: lacking substance or strength
thin broth
thin excuses
6
: somewhat weak or shrill
a thin voice
thinly adverb
thinness noun

thin

2 of 2 verb
thinned; thinning
1
: to make or become thin
2
: to reduce in number especially to prevent crowding
thin young carrots in the garden

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