Meanings
nounthumbsucker (plural thumbsuckers)
plural thumbsuckers
- Someone who sucks their thumb.
- USslangA piece of serious journalism that explains the background of current events and interprets them in a manner comforting to the intended readers.
Origin
From thumb + sucker, suggesting the ignorance of a thumb-sucking child who needs things explained.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
thumbsucker. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thumbsucker
MLA
“thumbsucker.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thumbsucker. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “thumbsucker,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thumbsucker.
Source: thumbsucker on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.