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thin

 - 4 dictionary results

thin

  [thin] adjective, thin⋅ner, thin⋅nest, adverb, verb, thinned, thin⋅ning.
Use thin in a Sentence
–adjective
1. having relatively little extent from one surface or side to the opposite; not thick: thin ice.
2. of small cross section in comparison with the length; slender: a thin wire.
3. having little flesh; spare; lean: a thin man.
4. composed of or containing objects, particles, etc., widely separated; sparse: thin vegetation.
5. scant; not abundant or plentiful.
6. of relatively slight consistency or viscosity: thin soup.
7. rarefied, as air.
8. without solidity or substance; flimsy: a very thin plot for such a long book.
9. lacking fullness or volume; weak and shrill: a thin voice.
10. without force or a sincere effort: a thin smile.
11. lacking body, richness, or strength: a thin wine.
12. lacking in chroma; of light tint.
13. Photography. (of a developed negative) lacking in density or contrast through underdevelopment or underexposure.
–adverb
14. in a thin manner.
15. sparsely; not densely.
16. so as to produce something thin: Slice the ham thin.
–verb (used with object)
17. to make thin or thinner (often fol. by down, out, etc.).
–verb (used without object)
18. to become thin or thinner; become reduced or diminished (often fol. by down, out, off, etc.): The crowd is thinning out.
Origin:
bef. 900; (adj. and adv.) ME thyn(ne), OE thynne; c. D dun, G dünn, ON thunnr; (v.) ME thynnen, OE thynnian, deriv. of the adj.; cf. MD dunnen, ON thynna; akin to OIr tana, L tenuis thin, Gk tany- long

Related forms:
thinly, adverb
thinness, noun

Synonyms:
3. slim, slender, skinny, lank, scrawny. Thin, gaunt, lean, spare agree in referring to one having little flesh. Thin applies often to one in an unnaturally reduced state, as from sickness, overwork, lack of food, or the like: a thin, dirty little waif. Gaunt suggests the angularity of bones prominently displayed in a thin face and body: to look ill and gaunt. Lean usually applies to a person or animal that is naturally thin: looking lean but healthy after an outdoor vacation. Spare implies a muscular leanness with no diminution of vitality: Lincoln was spare in body. 5. meager. 8. weak.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To thin
thin   (thĭn)   
adj.   thin·ner, thin·nest

    1. Relatively small in extent from one surface to the opposite, usually in the smallest solid dimension: a thin book.

    2. Not great in diameter or cross section; fine: thin wire.

    3. Not dense or concentrated; sparse: the thin vegetation of the plateau.

    4. More rarefied than normal: thin air.

    5. Flowing with relative ease; not viscous: a thin oil.

    6. Watery: thin soup.

  2. Lean or slender in form, build, or stature.

    1. Not dense or concentrated; sparse: the thin vegetation of the plateau.

    2. More rarefied than normal: thin air.

    3. Flowing with relative ease; not viscous: a thin oil.

    4. Watery: thin soup.

    1. Flowing with relative ease; not viscous: a thin oil.

    2. Watery: thin soup.

  5. Sparsely supplied or provided; scanty: a thin menu; thin trading.

  6. Lacking force or substance; flimsy: a thin attempt.

  7. Lacking resonance or fullness; tinny: The piano had a thin sound.

  8. Lacking radiance or intensity: thin light.

  9. Not having enough photographic density or contrast to make satisfactory prints. Used of a negative.

adv.  

  1. In a thin manner: Spread the varnish thin if you don't want it to wrinkle.

  2. So as to be thin: Cut the cheese thin.

tr. & intr.v.   thinned, thin·ning, thins
To make or become thin or thinner.

[Middle English, from Old English thynne; see ten- in Indo-European roots.]
thin'ly adv., thin'ness n., thin'nish adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

thin 
O.E. þynne "narrow, lean, scanty," from P.Gmc. *thunnuz, *thunw- (cf. W.Fris. ten, M.L.G. dunne, Du. dun, O.H.G. dunni, Ger. dünn, O.N. þunnr), from PIE *tnus-, *tnwi-, from weak grade of base *ten- "stretch" (cf. L. tenuis "thin, slender;" see tenet).
"These our actors ... were all Spirits, and Are melted into Ayre, into thin Ayre." [Shakespeare, "The Tempest," IV.i.150, 1610]
The verb is from O.E. þynnian "to make thin" (cf. Ger. dünnen, Du. dunnen); intrans. sense of "to become less numerous" is attested from 1743; that of "to become thinner" is recorded from 1804. Thin-skinned is attested from 1598; the fig. sense of "touchy" is from 1680.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

thin

In addition to the idioms beginning with thin, also see into thin air; on thin ice; spread oneself too thin; through thick and thin; wear thin.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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