thousand
/ˈθaʊznd/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈθaʊznd/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈthau̇-zᵊn(d)/ (ame, mw)
thousand — number
1. the exact integer written as one followed by three zeros, used when stating a pr
the exact integer written as one followed by three zeros, used when stating a precise quantity
Christopher and Yael's wedding venue seated one thousand guests under a large white tent.
one thousand + countable noun (guests)
Lara saved one thousand dollars from her summer job at the bakery to buy a second-hand car.
The town library received a donation of over one thousand children's books from a local publisher.
Jude ran exactly one thousand meters at the city track championship and finished in first place.
Over one thousand volunteers cleaned up Riverside Park after the spring flood waters went down.
- one thousand
the full written-out form of 1,000; identical in meaning but more formal
文法句型
[number] + thousand + [countable noun]
用法筆記
Unlike most nouns, 'thousand' stays singular when a specific number comes before it: 'two thousand', 'five thousand', 'ten thousand'. The plural 'thousands' is only used for vague or approximate quantities.
常見錯誤
2. an extremely large amount used as an exaggeration, without meaning precisely one
an extremely large amount used as an exaggeration, without meaning precisely one thousand
Sari had a thousand things to pack before leaving for her study programme in Japan.
hyperbolic 'a thousand' with plural countable noun
The grandmother told the child a thousand stories about life in the old village.
Hassan apologised a thousand times for breaking his sister's favourite ceramic vase.
Mira asked her father a thousand questions about the waterfall during their hike up the mountain trail.
Defne told me a thousand times not to touch the hot pan, yet I still did.
文法句型
a thousand + [plural noun]
用法筆記
This is a figure of speech (hyperbole) that emphasises that the quantity feels overwhelming. The exact number one thousand is not intended — it simply means 'very many'.
3. a figure between 1,000 and 999,999, used when the precise amount is not given or
a figure between 1,000 and 999,999, used when the precise amount is not given or does not matter
An antique landscape painting from the 1920s sold for several thousand dollars at a weekend auction.
several thousand + currency
The Maracanã stadium held twenty thousand spectators during the World Cup qualifying match.
Imran estimated that the crowd at the outdoor concert was in the thousands, not hundreds.
Yuki's laptop lasted over four thousand hours of video editing before needing any repairs.
文法句型
[determiner] + thousand + [countable noun]
in the thousands
用法筆記
Use the plural form 'thousand' (without -s) when a specific number or determiner precedes it ('several thousand', 'twenty thousand'). Use the phrase 'in the thousands' when describing an approximate range without a specific figure.
常見錯誤
thousand — noun
1. the value of ten times one hundred, treated as a countable thing or target numbe
the value of ten times one hundred, treated as a countable thing or target number
Chiara counted to a thousand while waiting for the nurse to call her name.
count to a thousand (target number)
The charity raised just over a thousand dollars for the library's new children's reading section.
Jisoo wrote the number one thousand on the board and drew three zeros after it.
The old wooden bridge over Mill Creek carried nearly a thousand vehicles daily before it was closed.
文法句型
a thousand
one thousand
over a thousand
用法筆記
As a countable noun, 'thousand' needs a determiner like 'a' or 'one' when singular. You cannot say 'thousand cars' as a noun phrase — that structure belongs to the number sense. Instead say 'a thousand cars' or 'one thousand cars'.
常見錯誤
2. a vast, unspecified number of people or things, expressed by the plural form fol
a vast, unspecified number of people or things, expressed by the plural form followed by 'of'
Thousands of fans lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the championship parade.
thousands of + animate noun (fans)
Thousands of years ago, builders erected the great stone circles at Carnac that still stand today.
The storm left thousands of homes without electricity for almost a full week.
Emily received thousands of messages after her video about climate change went online.
Thousands of tourists visit the Angkor temple complex every year during the Khmer New Year festival.
- tens of thousands
suggests a larger scale, from roughly 20,000 to 99,000
- countless
stresses that the number is too large to count; more formal in tone
- a multitude
formal and literary; emphasises the variety within the large group
文法句型
thousands of + [plural noun]
用法筆記
This sense always uses the plural 'thousands' and requires the preposition 'of' before the following noun. Unlike the number sense, 'thousands' here can also be modified by adjectives: 'tens of thousands', 'hundreds of thousands'.