thinning
[θˈɪnɪŋ] /ˈthin How to pronounce thin (audio)/ (ame, mw)
thinning — 形容詞
- thinningpositive
- more thinningcomparative
- most thinningsuperlative
1. measuring only a short way from one flat side of something through to the other
薄的
兩個面之間距離很小的
measuring only a short way from one flat side of something through to the other — like a thin slice of bread, a thin sheet of paper, or a thin phone
Chidi cut the warm bread into thin slices for the sandwiches.
Chidi 把熱麵包切成薄片來做三明治。
thin slices — common collocation for food
The ice on the pond was too thin for anyone to skate on.
池塘上的冰太薄了，沒有人敢上去溜冰。
thin ice — common warning phrase
Jin slipped a thin envelope under the manager's office door.
Jin 把一個薄信封從經理辦公室的門縫塞了進去。
Camila wore a thin jacket even though the wind was freezing.
風冷得刺骨，Camila 卻只穿了一件薄外套。
The hotel walls are so thin you can hear every word next door.
旅館牆壁太薄了，隔壁說什麼都聽得一清二楚。
2. having very little fat or flesh on the body, so that the shape of the bones may
瘦的
身體缺少脂肪，外觀偏瘦
having very little fat or flesh on the body, so that the shape of the bones may be visible under the skin
After months of training for the race, Bao looked thin but very strong.
經過幾個月的比賽訓練，Bao 看起來很瘦但非常結實。
thin + but + [positive adjective] — contrast pattern
The vet told Tyler that the old dog was too thin and needed richer food.
獸醫告訴 Tyler，那隻老狗太瘦了，需要吃更有營養的食物。
Wren's face grew thin during the long weeks of her illness.
在漫長的生病期間，Wren 的臉變得消瘦了。
Chiara has always been naturally thin, no matter how much she eats.
Chiara 天生就很瘦，不管吃多少都一樣。
- overweight
more polite than 'fat'
- plump
slightly fat in a soft, rounded way
用法筆記
'Thin' for people often sounds negative or suggests poor health. Use 'slim' or 'slender' when you want a positive or neutral description of a lean body.
3. letting light pass through easily so that objects on the far side can be seen, l
透光的
能讓光線穿過，看得見另一面
letting light pass through easily so that objects on the far side can be seen, like a thin curtain or a thin piece of fabric
The curtains in the hotel room were so thin that light poured through at dawn.
旅館房間的窗簾太透了，天一亮光就照了進來。
thin curtains — blocking little light or visibility
Ishaan held the thin sheet of paper up to the window to read the watermark.
Ishaan 把那張薄紙舉到窗邊，想看清水印。
The cotton dress was lovely but too thin to wear without a slip underneath.
那件棉質連身裙很漂亮，但太透了，裡面必須穿襯裙。
Yuki's thin cotton dress let the sunlight through, showing her silhouette.
Yuki 的薄棉質洋裝很透光，陽光一照就看見了她的輪廓。
- sheer
extremely thin and almost transparent, used for fabric
- transparent
completely see-through; more formal than 'thin'
- translucent
letting light through but not clear shapes (technical)
4. with few people or items spread out across a space, so that gaps are visible bet
稀疏的
數量少且分佈不密集
with few people or items spread out across a space, so that gaps are visible between them — like a thin crowd at a show, thinning hair, or bushes growing far apart on a hillside
His hair was getting thin on top, so he began wearing a cap.
他頭頂的頭髮變稀疏了，所以他開始戴帽子。
thin hair — losing density
The audience at the late-night comedy show was thin but laughed loudly.
深夜喜劇表演的觀眾很稀疏，但笑聲很大。
The forest grew thin as the hikers neared the edge of the rocky plain.
登山客靠近岩石平原邊緣時，森林變得稀疏了。
The crowd at the evening lecture was thin, and half the seats stayed empty.
那場晚間講座的觀眾很稀疏，一半的座位都空著。
Good plumbers are thin on the ground in this part of the county.
在這個郡的這一帶，好的水電工少之又少。
用法筆記
The phrase 'thin on the ground' is common in British English and means scarce or hard to find.
5. flowing more freely than is usual or wanted, often because too much water or ano
稀的
液體濃稠度低、流動性高
flowing more freely than is usual or wanted, often because too much water or another liquid has been added
The soup at the canteen was thin and needed more vegetables to give it body.
餐廳的湯很稀，需要多加蔬菜才會有口感。
thin soup — watery, lacking substance
Ilan added too much water and the paint became too thin to cover the wall.
Ilan 加了太多水，油漆變得太稀，無法覆蓋牆面。
If the gravy seems thin, let it boil for another five minutes.
如果肉汁看起來太稀，就讓它再滾五分鐘。
Amihan likes her rice porridge thin, with extra hot milk stirred through.
Amihan 喜歡她的粥稀一點，再多拌一些熱牛奶。
6. not strong, convincing, or rich enough in quality — describing a voice that soun
薄弱的
缺乏強度、說服力或厚實感
not strong, convincing, or rich enough in quality — describing a voice that sounds weak, a smile that hides real feeling, an excuse or argument that nobody believes, or soil too poor to grow healthy plants
Roya's voice sounded thin and tired after the long meeting.
漫長的會議過後，Roya 的聲音聽起來薄弱而疲憊。
thin voice — weak, lacking resonance
The plot of the film was too thin to hold the audience for two hours.
這部電影的情節太薄弱了，撐不起兩個小時的觀影時間。
The manager gave a thin smile when she heard the sales figures.
經理聽到銷售數字後，露出了一個淡淡的微笑。
The thin soil on that hillside could barely grow enough grass for a single goat.
那個山坡上的土壤很貧瘠，連養一隻山羊的草都長不出來。
His excuse for missing the deadline was thin and nobody believed it.
他錯過截止期限的藉口很薄弱，沒有人相信。
- weak
more general; can describe physical strength as well as quality
- flimsy
easily broken or disproved; used for excuses, arguments, structures
- feeble
pathetically weak; stronger negative judgement than 'thin'
- unconvincing
fails to persuade; used for arguments and excuses
- convincing
for arguments and excuses
- rich
for soil, voice quality, or flavour
thinning — 動詞
- thinningpresent simple I / you / we / they
- thinnings3rd person singular
- thinninging-ing form
- thinningedpast simple
1. to add water or another liquid to a substance so that it becomes less thick and
稀釋
加入液體使物質變得不濃稠
to add water or another liquid to a substance so that it becomes less thick and flows more easily, or to become less thick naturally
Bao opened the tin of wall paint and thinned it with a cup of water.
Bao 打開油漆罐後，用一杯水稀釋了牆面漆。
thin + [substance] + with + [liquid]
You can thin the sauce by stirring in a little milk at the end.
你可以在最後拌入一點牛奶來稀釋醬汁。
As the ice cubes melted, the drink thinned and lost its strong taste.
冰塊融化後，飲料變稀了，濃郁的味道也消失了。
The porridge thinned as Amir stirred in a splash of warm milk.
Amir 拌入一點熱牛奶後，粥就變稀了。
- dilute
always involves adding liquid; more formal and technical than 'thin'
- water down
phrasal verb; often negative, implying you have made something too weak
- weaken
broader; can apply to strength, taste, or effect
文法句型
thin + [substance] + with + [liquid]
[substance] + thins
用法筆記
The intransitive use (something thins on its own) is common with liquids and mixtures — a sauce thins as it heats, a drink thins as ice melts.
2. to remove some people, plants, or things from a group so that fewer remain and t
使變少
移除部分使數量減少或變稀疏
to remove some people, plants, or things from a group so that fewer remain and the rest have more room or resources
The crowd thinned out after the main band finished their last song.
主要樂團唱完最後一首歌後，人群就變少了。
[crowd] + thins out — intransitive with 'out'
Ishaan thinned out the carrot seedlings so each plant had room to spread.
Ishaan 拔掉了一些胡蘿蔔幼苗，讓每株都有空間生長。
thin out + [plants] — gardening context
Traffic finally began to thin once we passed the city limits at dusk.
黃昏時通過市區邊界後，車流終於開始減少了。
The library thinned its collection of old magazines before the summer sale.
圖書館在夏季拍賣前淘汰了一批舊雜誌。
- swell
to increase in number or size
文法句型
thin + [group] + out
[group] + thins + out
用法筆記
In natural speech and writing, this sense almost always includes 'out': 'the crowd thinned out,' 'thin out the seedlings.' The bare form without 'out' is much rarer.
thinning — 副詞
1. in a manner that produces thin pieces, layers, or a thin distribution of somethi
薄薄地
以薄的方式；薄薄一層
in a manner that produces thin pieces, layers, or a thin distribution of something across a surface
Niran sliced the cucumber thinly for the salad, holding the knife at an angle.
Niran 斜著拿刀，把黃瓜切成薄片放進沙拉裡。
sliced thinly — cutting into fine pieces
Spread the glue thinly across the back of each photograph with a brush.
用刷子把膠水薄薄地塗在每張照片的背面。
The butter was spread thinly over all six pieces of warm bread.
奶油薄薄地塗滿了六片熱麵包。
Emergency workers were spread thinly across three flood-hit towns that week.
那個星期，急救人員分散在三個受洪水侵襲的城鎮，人手十分吃緊。
用法筆記
'Thinly' is far more common in everyday English than the flat adverb 'thin.' Use 'thinly' for natural speech and writing.