Word forms: comparative thinner, superlative thinnest, 3rd person singular presenttense thins, present participle thinning, past tense, past participle thinned
1. adjective
Something that is thin is much narrower than it is long.
A thin cable carries the signal to a computer.
James's face was thin, finely boned, and sensitive.
Synonyms: narrow, fine, attenuate, attenuated More Synonyms of thin
2. adjective
A person or animal that is thin has no extra fat on their body .
He was a tall, thin man with grey hair.
He is small and very thin and has pale-white skin.
Synonyms: slim, spare, lean, slight More Synonyms of thin
thinnessuncountable noun
There was something familiar about him, his fawn raincoat, his thinness, the wayhe moved.
3. adjective
Something such as paper or cloth that is thin is flat and has only a very small distance between its two opposite surfaces.
...a small, blue-bound book printed in fine type on thin paper.
A thin layer of topsoil was swept away.
thinlyadverb [ADVERB with verb]
Peel and thinly slice the onion.
Roll the pasta out as thinly as possible.
4. adjective
Liquids that are thin are weak and watery.
The soup was thin and clear, yet mysteriously rich.
They are stirring huge pots of rice and thin vegetable soup over a fire made of charcoal.
Synonyms: watery, weak, diluted, dilute More Synonyms of thin
5. adjective
A crowd or audience that is thin does not have many people in it.
The crowd, which had been thin for the first half of the race, had now grown considerably.
Synonyms: meagre, sparse, scanty, poor More Synonyms of thin
thinlyadverb [ADVERB -ed]
The island is thinly populated.
...thinly attended meetings.
6. graded adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
A thin smile is one that is not friendly or humorous.
All she could manage was a thin, wan smile.
thinlygraded adverb [ADVERB after verb]
Wilson smiled thinly. 'We have decided to name the new Home after Councillor Minford.'
7. adjective
Thin clothes are made from light cloth and are not warm to wear.
Her gown was thin, and she shivered, partly from cold.
Synonyms: fine, delicate, flimsy, sheer More Synonyms of thin
thinlyadverb [ADVERB adjective/-ed]
Mrs Brown wrapped the thinly clad man in her coat.
8. adjective
If you describe an argument or explanation as thin, you mean that it is weak and difficult to believe.
However, the evidence is thin and, to some extent, ambiguous.
Even if the optimists' theory is true, it still seems a thin argument against reform.
Synonyms: unconvincing, inadequate, feeble, poor More Synonyms of thin
thinlyadverb [usually ADVERB -ed, oft ADV before v]
Much of the speech was a thinly disguised attack on the management of the company.
...a series of what correspondents describe as thinly veiled threats to use force.
9. graded adjective
A voice or sound that is thin is high-pitched and not very loud.
Her thin voice rose high in complaint.
Synonyms: weak, faint, feeble, small More Synonyms of thin
10. adjective
If someone's hair is described as thin, they do not have a lot of hair.
She had pale thin yellow hair she pulled back into a bun.
Synonyms: wispy, thinning, sparse, scarce More Synonyms of thin
11. verb
When you thin something or when it thins, it becomes less crowded because people or things have been removed from it.
Reduce the wind resistance by thinning the tree's canopy. [VERB noun]
By midnight the crowd had thinned. [VERB]
Thin out means the same as thin.
NATO will continue to thin out its forces. [VERBPARTICLE noun]
When the crowd began to thin out, I realized that most of the food was still there. [VERBPARTICLE]
Further up the river, the vineyards start to thin out. [VERBPARTICLE]
[Also VERB noun PARTICLE]
12. verb
To thin a sauce or liquid means to make it weaker and more watery by adding another liquid to it.
It may be necessary to thin the sauce slightly. [VERB noun]
Aspirin thins the blood, letting it flow more easily through narrowed blood vessels. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: dilute, water down, weaken, attenuate More Synonyms of thin
Thin down means the same as thin.
Thin down your mayonnaise with soured cream or natural yoghurt. [VERBPARTICLE noun]
...an oil-based paint that was thinned down with white spirit. [VERBPARTICLE noun (not pronoun)]
13. verb
If someone's hair is thinning, it has begun to fall out.
His hair is thinning and his skin has lost all hint of youth. [VERB]
14.
See wearing thin
15. on thin ice
16. thin air
Phrasal verbs:
See thin down
See thin out
More Synonyms of thin
thin in British English
(θɪn)
adjectiveWord forms: thinner or thinnest
1.
of relatively small extent from one side or surface to the other; fine or narrow
2.
slim or lean
3.
sparsely placed; meagre
thin hair
4.
of relatively low density or viscosity
a thin liquid
5.
weak; poor; insufficient
a thin disguise
6.
(of a photographic negative) having low density, usually insufficient to produce a satisfactory positive
7. mountaineering
(of a climb or pitch) having few and small holds
8. thin on the ground
adverb
9.
in order to produce something thin
to cut bread thin
verbWord forms: thins, thinning or thinned
10.
to make or become thin or sparse
Derived forms
thinly (ˈthinly)
adverb
thinness (ˈthinness)
noun
Word origin
Old English thynne; related to Old Frisian thenne, Old Saxon, Old High German thunni, Old Norse thunnr, Latin tenuis thin, Greek teinein to stretch
thin in American English
(θɪn)
adjectiveWord forms: ˈthinner or ˈthinnest
1.
having relatively little depth; of little extent from one surface or side to the opposite
thin paper
2.
having relatively small diameter in relation to length
thin thread
3.
having little fat or flesh; lean; gaunt; slender
4.
having the constituent elements small in number and not close together
; specif.,
a.
scanty in growth; sparsely distributed
thin hair
b.
small in size or number
thin receipts
c.
lacking body; not thick in consistency; watery
thin soup
d.
not dense or heavy
thin smoke, a thin snowfall
e.
rarefied, as air at high altitudes
5.
of little intensity; dim; faint; pale
thin colors
6.
of little volume or resonance; high-pitched and weak
a thin voice
7.
light or sheer, as fabric
8.
easily seen through; flimsy or unconvincing
a thin excuse
9.
lacking solidity, substance, or vigor; slight, weak, vapid, etc.
a thin plot, thin argument
10. Photography
lacking in density (sense 1) density (sense 1c)
said of an underexposed or underdeveloped negative or print
adverbWord forms: ˈthinner or ˈthinnest
11.
in a thin way
verb transitive, verb intransitiveWord forms: thinned or ˈthinning
12.
to make or become thin or thinner, as in dimension, density, etc.
Derived forms
thinly (ˈthinly)
adverb
thinness (ˈthinness)
noun
Word origin
ME thinne < OE thynne, akin to Ger dünn < IE *tenu-, thin < base *ten-, to stretch > L tenuis, thin, tenere, to hold, tendere & Gr teinein, to stretch
More idioms containing
thin
be thin on the ground
out of thin air
disappear into thin air
skate on thin ice
a thin skin
do something through thick and thin
spread yourself too thin
thin as a rake
the thin end of the wedge
Examples of 'thin' in a sentence
thin
Rinse celery and slice in thin half moons.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
People do not just disappear into thin air.
The Sun (2016)
This is not the case and the ice is still very thin and will not support weight.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Suddenly he needed to be thin.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He looked similar to me with the same short brown, thinning hair and light skin.
The Sun (2017)
It can get too cold in winter due to its thin coat but will struggle to cool itself in summer because of its flat nose.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Like many brilliant artists he seems beset by anxiety, self-doubt and an embarrassingly thin skin.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
The group stage, the most hotly contested part of the negotiations, was once again rather thin in terms of surprises.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Spread a thin layer of the mixture over the bottom of a serving dish.
The Sun (2014)
We talked and laughed for quite a while but the crowd was thinning and the night beckoning.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Was it to protect his thinning hair from the rain?
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The thin ideal is something that we should all robustly challenge.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
They are useful because the skins are thin and thus cook quickly.
Smith, Drew Food Watch (1994)
They set so many fruits they sometimes need to be thinned to increase the size.
The Sun (2007)
Years of straightening have made it thinner still.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Until recently they were rather thin on the ground.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Roll out the pastry and cut a thin strip to go round the lip of the dish.
The Sun (2013)
The outer shell almost wants to become thinner to make more room for him.
Christianity Today (2000)
He thinned the oil paint with medium to produce transparent washes.
Improve Your Landscape Painting
The obstacle allows himself a thin smile.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
You should be able to see the knife through each thin slice.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The fats helped people lose weight and thin their blood.
The Sun (2007)
The next morning a thin coat of snow lay on the ground.
Adam Sisman The Friendship: Wordsworth and Coleridge (2006)
The government knows that money is not going to appear from thin air.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
We were ready to cry for fear that the soup would be thin.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Patience was wearing thin and time was running out.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Who would have thought that she could be so thin and small?
Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice (1813)
One moment she would be a healthy weight and the next she would become dangerously thin.
The Sun (2012)
Top with a thin layer of cream before serving.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Save any leftovers in a jar and cover with a thin layer of oil.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
As a result, the muscle is thin and relatively weak.
Wills, Christopher The Runaway Brain: the Evolution of Human Uniqueness (1993)
In other languages
thin
British English: thin /θɪn/ ADJECTIVE
not measuring much from one side to the other If something is thin, it is narrow between one side and the other.
The book is printed on very thin paper.
American English: thin
Arabic: نَحِيف
Brazilian Portuguese: fino
Chinese: 薄的
Croatian: tanak
Czech: tenký
Danish: tynd
Dutch: dun
European Spanish: fino delgado
Finnish: ohut
French: mince
German: dünn
Greek: λεπτός
Italian: sottile
Japanese: 薄い 厚み
Korean: 얇은
Norwegian: tynn
Polish: cienki
European Portuguese: fino
Romanian: subțire
Russian: тонкий
Latin American Spanish: fino delgado
Swedish: tunn
Thai: ผอม บาง
Turkish: ince
Ukrainian: тонкий
Vietnamese: mỏng
British English: thin /θɪn/ ADJECTIVE
slim If a person or animal is thin, they are not fat and they do not weigh much.
He was a tall, thin man.
American English: thin
Arabic: رَقِيق
Brazilian Portuguese: magro
Chinese: 瘦的
Croatian: mršav
Czech: hubený
Danish: tynd
Dutch: dun
European Spanish: delgado
Finnish: laiha
French: menu
German: dünn
Greek: αδύνατος
Italian: magro
Japanese: 細い
Korean: 마른
Norwegian: tynn
Polish: szczupły
European Portuguese: magro
Romanian: slab
Russian: худой
Latin American Spanish: delgadodelgada
Swedish: smal
Thai: ผอม
Turkish: zayıf
Ukrainian: худий
Vietnamese: ốm
British English: thin VERB
When you thin something or when it thins, it becomes less crowded because people or things have been removed from it.
It would have been better to have thinned the trees over several winters rather than all at one time.
American English: thin
Brazilian Portuguese: rarear
Chinese: 使变稀疏
European Spanish: disminuir
French: éclaircir
German: verdünnen
Italian: sfoltire
Japanese: まばらにする/まばらになる
Korean: 솎다
European Portuguese: rarear
Latin American Spanish: disminuir
All related terms of 'thin'
thin air
If someone or something disappears into thin air , they disappear completely. If someone or something appears out of thin air , they appear suddenly and mysteriously.
thin down
thin-film
(of an electronic component , device, or circuit ) composed of one or more extremely thin layers of metal, semiconductor , etc, deposited on a ceramic or glass substrate
thin out
thin skin
a sensitive nature
wear thin
If your patience or temper is wearing thin , you are becoming annoyed and are likely to get angry soon .
paper-thin
If something is paper-thin , it is very thin.
razor-thin
A razor-thin majority or profit is a very small one.
thin client
a computer on a network where most functions are carried out on a central server
thin-lipped
having mean-looking thin lips
thin margin
A margin is the difference between two amounts, especially the difference in the number of votes or points between the winner and the loser in an election or other contest .
wafer-thin
Wafer-thin means extremely thin and flat.
thin-skinned
If you say that someone is thin-skinned , you mean that they are easily upset by criticism or unpleasantness.
wearing thin
If someone's patience , for example , is wearing thin , they are beginning to become impatient or angry with someone.
a thin skin
a tendency to be easily upset by criticism
on thin ice
If you say that someone is on thin ice or is skating on thin ice , you mean that they are doing something risky which may have serious or unpleasant consequences .
into thin air
leaving no trace behind
out of thin air
if something appears out of thin air , it appears suddenly and unexpectedly
thin as a rake
extremely thin
skate on thin ice
to get into a difficult situation which may have serious or unpleasant consequences
spread oneself thin
to try to do too many things at once
thin on the ground
If people or things of a particular kind are thin on the ground , there are very few of them.
be thin on the ground
to be rare
disappear into thin air
to disappear completely
spread yourself too thin
to try to do a lot of different things at the same time, with the result that you cannot do any of them properly
thin end of the wedge
anything unimportant in itself that implies the start of something much larger
thin-layer chromatography
a form of chromatography in which components of a liquid mixture are separated by means of a thin layer of adsorbent material coated on a glass , plastic , or foil sheet
through thick and thin
If you do something through thick and thin , you do it although the conditions or circumstances are very bad.
the thin end of the wedge
If you say that something is the thin end of the wedge , you mean that it appears to be unimportant at the moment , but that it is the beginning of a bigger , more harmful development.
have a thick skin
to be insensitive (or acutely sensitive ) to blame , criticism , insults , etc.
into thin air/out of thin air thin air
If someone or something disappears into thin air , they disappear completely. If someone or something appears out of thin air , they appear suddenly and mysteriously.
do something through thick and thin
to continue doing something even when the situation makes it very difficult for you