thumb through

verb

To use one's thumb to quickly flip through the pages of a book, magazine, etc., especially without reading them thoroughly or at all.

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Meanings

verbthumb through (third-person singular simple present thumbs through, present participle thumbing through, simple past and past participle thumbed through)

present singular third person thumbs through · participle present thumbing through · participle past thumbed through · past thumbed through

  1. transitiveTo use one's thumb to quickly flip through the pages of a book, magazine, etc., especially without reading them thoroughly or at all.
Cite this entry
APA

thumb through. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thumb%20through

MLA

“thumb through.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thumb%20through. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “thumb through,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thumb%20through.

Source: thumb through on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.