What does thousand mean?
“Thousand” is the English cardinal number for 1,000. It is used both as a precise count and as an emphatic way of suggesting a very large, potentially countless quantity. In phrases such as “a thousand reasons” or “a thousand thanks,” the word conveys abundance, emotional intensity, or exaggeration rather than a literal count. As an adjective, it can specify an amount, including in constructions such as “a thousand pounds” or “a thousand years.” As an adverb, it appears in expressions such as “a thousand times,” indicating great degree or repetition. The form “thousands” is used for an unspecified large number, especially in “thousands of,” while the ordinal “thousandth” expresses position in a sequence. Although its meaning is entirely ordinary today, the word is historically interesting because it descends from Old English þūsend and has close cognates in several other Germanic languages.
The cardinal number 1,000, equal to ten hundreds; also, an indefinite reference to a very large number.
"The library purchased nearly a thousand books for its new collection."
A thousand can be followed directly by a plural noun without changing form: “a thousand students.”
Denoting an amount, quantity, or number equal to 1,000.
"They raised a thousand dollars for the community project."
The adjective use is especially common before measures of money, distance, time, or people.
To a very great degree or extent, especially by a factor of 1,000.
"The small change was magnified a thousand times on the screen."
This use commonly occurs in the expression “a thousand times” and is often emphatic.
The standard plural of “thousand” is “thousands,” especially in the generalizing construction “thousands of.” For an exact count of 1,000 followed by a plural noun, “thousand” generally remains singular: “a thousand people.”
"Thousands of visitors attended the festival over the weekend."
The word has survived from Old English, where it already meant 1,000, so its name has been doing the same job for more than a thousand years.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does thousand come from?
The English word comes from Old English þūsend, used for the number 1,000. It was inherited through Proto-Germanic *þūsundi, although the precise prehistoric derivation is debated and is commonly connected with an Indo-European word for “a thousand.” Modern cognates include German Tausend, Dutch duizend, Swedish tusen, and Icelandic þúsund. The meaning has remained remarkably stable from Old English to the present.
Related word forms
How thousand is actually used
In exact numerical statements, “thousand” is normally not pluralized before a following noun: “a thousand people” is standard, while “thousands of people” emphasizes a large, often approximate number. “A thousand” can function formally or idiomatically as an emphatic expression of countlessness. There is no substantial British–American difference in its basic use.
Easily confused with thousand
A thousand is the cardinal number 1,000, while a thousandth denotes the corresponding ordinal position or fraction.