adjective | verb | adverb
thinthin1 /θɪn/ ●●● S2 W2 adjective (comparative thinner, superlative thinnest) 1
NOT THICK measuring a small distance or a smaller distance than usual between two opposite sides or surfaces OPP thick: The cross hung from a thin gold chain. A thin layer of dust covered the furniture. My curtains are too thin to keep the sun out. She had a narrow face and thin lips. → see also paper-thin, see Word Choice at narrow12NOT FAT having little fat on your body OPP fat: He’s tall and thin and wears glasses. I wish my legs were thinner.THESAURUSslim – thin in a way that looks good: Jen stays slim by eating healthily and getting exercise.slender – thin in a way that looks good or seems graceful. Used especially about women: The bracelet sparkled on her slender wrist.lean – thin in a healthy way without much fat: He had a runner’s body – lean with long legs.slight – thin and delicate with a small body structure: Leona is so slight, a strong wind might blow her away!skinny – thin in a way that is not attractive: Have some more pasta – you’re too skinny.underweight – thin in a way that is not healthy. Used especially by doctors: The baby hadn’t been keeping food down and was underweight.gaunt – thin, pale, and unhealthy: What’s wrong with Mike? He’s so gaunt.emaciated formal – extremely thin and weak because of illness or not eating: Emaciated refugees filled the camp.anorexic – extremely thin because of a mental illness that makes someone believe he or she is always too fat and should not eat: Brigette is so thin – do you think she’s anorexic?skeletal – so thin that the shape of the bones shows under someone’s skin: She did not even recognize the skeletal man in the hospital bed.3SMOKE/MIST/FOG smoke, mist, or fog that is thin is easy to see through OPP thick: The sun quickly burned away the thin fog.4HAIR/FUR ETC. not covering the skin very well because there are spaces between the hairs OPP thick: He has gray hair and a thin straggly beard. His hair’s getting thin on top.5TREES/BUSHES ETC. not growing very close together, or having only a few leaves, so there is a lot of space in between OPP thick: The island has only thin vegetation.6LIQUID a thin liquid flows very easily because it has a lot of water in it OPP thick: Some nights all they had to eat was a thin broth.7AIR air that is thin is more difficult to breathe than usual because it has less oxygen in it: The air is so thin up here I can hardly breathe.8VOICE/SOUND a thin voice or sound is high and weak, and is not nice to listen to: “Who is it?” she asked in a thin frightened voice.9SMILE a thin smile does not seem very happy or sincere10EXCUSE/ARGUMENT/EXPLANATION a thin excuse, argument, or explanation is not good or detailed enough to persuade you that it is true11INFORMATION/DESCRIPTION a piece of information or a description that is thin is not detailed enough to be useful or effective: thin on The report is very thin on material to back up his claims.12CONTAINING FEW PEOPLE/THINGS containing only a few people or things: By 6:00 only a thin crowd was left.13disappear/vanish into thin air to disappear or vanish completely in a mysterious way14be (skating/walking) on thin ice to be in a situation in which you are likely to upset someone or cause trouble15BUSINESS thin trading is a situation in which people are not buying or selling very much at a stock exchange OPP heavy[Origin: Old English thynne]—thinness noun [uncountable] → see also have thick/thin skin at skin1 (6), thinly adjective | verb | adverb
thinthin2 ●●○ verb (thinned, thinning) 1[intransitive, transitive] (also thin out) to make a group smaller in number, or to become smaller in number: The crowd seemed to be thinning. Higher prices have thinned the ranks of prospective home owners (=reduced the number).thin the herd (=kill some animals in a group so that there are not so many of them)2[intransitive, transitive] to make liquid, smoke, mist, etc. thinner or less dense, or to become thinner or less dense OPP thicken: Add a little oil to thin the mixture.3[intransitive] if someone’s hair thins, the hair on his or her head gradually stops growing: His blond hair was starting to thin.4[transitive] (also thin out) to cut some of someone’s hair so that it is not as full or thick5[intransitive, transitive] especially literary if your mouth or lips thin or you thin them, they form a narrow straight line, usually because you are annoyed6[transitive] (also thin out) to make more room for plants to grow by removing the weaker ones → see also thinning adjective | verb | adverb
thinthin3 adverb so as to be thin: Don’t cut the bread so thin.