thousands

thousands — noun

1. The number that is equal to ten times one hundred; a value or quantity made up o

1.nounA2
Definition

The number that is equal to ten times one hundred; a value or quantity made up of 1,000 units.

Example

Hyun stacked the cash into bundles of thousands before taking it to the bank.

count noun: bundles of thousands

The ancient army split its soldiers into units of hundreds and thousands for battle.

Common collocations
  • count in thousands
  • grouped into thousands
  • bundles of thousands
Synonyms
  • hundred

    a smaller unit used in the same group-counting pattern

  • million

    a larger unit used in the same group-counting pattern

Usage Note

When a specific number comes directly before it, use the singular form 'thousand' instead (e.g., 'five thousand people', not 'five thousands people').

Common Mistakes

There are three thousands students in the school.
There are three thousand students in the school.
After a specific number, 'thousand' stays singular.

2. An extremely large but unspecified number of people or things, meaning anywhere

2.nounA2
Definition

An extremely large but unspecified number of people or things, meaning anywhere from a few thousand to many tens of thousands.

Example

Thousands of fans lined the streets to welcome the team home from the championship.

pattern: thousands of + plural noun

Hassan sent out thousands of job applications before a single company called him back.

Common collocations
  • thousands of people
  • thousands of dollars
  • thousands of visitors
  • thousands of families
Synonyms
  • millions

    an even larger quantity, starting at one million

  • countless

    too many to count; more dramatic or literary

Antonyms
  • handful

    a very small number of people or things

Grammar Patterns

thousands of + plural countable noun

Usage Note

Always takes the plural form 'thousands' followed by 'of', and the verb that follows is also plural (e.g., 'Thousands of people are waiting').

Common Mistakes

Thousand of fans came to the game.
Thousands of fans came to the game.
Always use the plural 'thousands' with 'of'.
Idioms

in the thousands

idiom

Used to state that a quantity falls somewhere between 1,000 and 1,000,000, especially when the exact figure is unknown or unimportant.

Evelyn does not know the exact number, but she estimates the crowd at the concert was in the thousands.

Once numbering in the thousands, the local salmon population has now fallen to just a few hundred.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

'Thousands' and 'millions' both describe large, unspecified quantities, but 'thousands' suggests a range from roughly 2,000 to 999,999, while 'millions' starts at 1,000,000 and feels far larger. 'Countless' is more emphatic and literary — it implies the number is too big to count, not just unstated. 'Numerous' is more formal and can describe smaller quantities too; it is common in academic writing. In everyday speech, 'thousands' (e.g., 'Thousands of people showed up') sounds factual and grounded, whereas 'countless' (e.g., 'Countless stars filled the sky') adds a tone of awe.

thousands ↗millions ↗countless ↗numerous ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishOld High GermanLatinEnglish

From Old English 'thūsend', related to Old High German 'dūsunt' and Latin 'tumēre' (to swell). The word originally conveyed the idea of a very large number before its exact value of 1,000 became fixed.

First known use

12th century

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1