thumbtack

IPA/ˈθʌmtæk/
IPA/ˈθʌmtæk/

thumbtack — noun

  • thumbtacksingular
  • thumbtacksplural

1. a short, thin piece of metal with one sharp end and a broad flat top, made to be

1.nounB1
Definition

a short, thin piece of metal with one sharp end and a broad flat top, made to be pushed into a wall or noticeboard using your thumb, so that paper or other light items stay in place

Example

Megan used a thumbtack to hang her drawing on the classroom notice board.

used to hang paper on a board

Jisoo pinned the poster to her bedroom wall with a red thumbtack.

with a [colour] thumbtack

Common collocations
  • push a thumbtack
  • remove a thumbtack
  • thumbtack into a board
  • thumbtack on a wall
Synonyms
  • drawing pin

    British term for the same object

  • pushpin

    similar but has a longer handle rather than a flat head

  • tack

    broader term; a tack is any short nail with a wide head, not necessarily pressed by thumb

Grammar Patterns

a [adjective] thumbtack

thumbtack + for + noun/gerund

Usage Note

Thumbtack is the common term in American English. In British English, the same object is usually called a drawing pin.

Common Mistakes

I used a pushpin to hang the poster.
I used a thumbtack to hang the poster.
A pushpin has a handle-like top; a thumbtack has a flat metal or plastic head that you press with your thumb.

thumbtack — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe a kind of short pin used to attach paper to a surface. A thumbtack (American English) has a broad, flat head that you press with your thumb; the British equivalent is a drawing pin. A pushpin looks similar but has a longer, handle-like top rather than a flat head. A tack is the most general term — any short nail with a wide head — and may require a hammer rather than just your thumb. For example, you would use a thumbtack to hang a poster on a cork board, a pushpin for temporary notes on a cubicle wall, and a tack for securing fabric to a wooden frame.

thumbtack ↗drawing pinpushpin ↗tack ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • push a thumbtack into
  • remove a thumbtack from
  • fasten with a thumbtack
  • hold in place with a thumbtack

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishOld FrenchEnglish

The word thumbtack is a compound of 'thumb' (the short, thick finger) and 'tack' (a small nail with a broad head). 'Thumb' comes from Old English 'þūma', and 'tack' comes from Old French 'taque' meaning a nail or fastening. The word was first used in the late 1800s, when factories began producing these pins in large numbers for use in schools and offices.

First known use

1884

1884, in the meaning defined above Verb