-
Contents
thick definition
Overview
This page has 21 definitions of thick in English. Thick is an adjective, an adverb, noun and verb. Examples of how to use thick in a sentence are shown. Also define these 87 related words and terms: relatively, extent, surface, opposite, small, solid, dimension, broad, slim, thin, measure, unit, heavy, build, thickset, chunky, stocky, slender, slight, svelte, densely, crowded, packed, dense, sparse, viscous, consistency, glutinous, free-flowing, runny, abounding, number, overflowing, swarming, teeming, scant, scarce, impenetrable, sight, opaque, transparent, accent, prominent, strong, greatly, evocative, nationality, origin, difficult, understand, poorly, articulated, unclear, clear, lucid, stupid, dumb, thick as pigshit, thick as two short planks, brainy, intelligent, smart, friendly, intimate, chummy, close, close-knit, pally, tight-knit, unacquainted, deep, intense, profound, great, extreme, troublesome, unreasonable, curvy, voluptuous, especially, hips, thickest, active, thicket, transitive, intransitive, and thicken.
English
Alternative forms
- (meme slang: curvy): thicc
Etymology
From Middle English thicke, from Old English þicce (“thick, dense”), from Proto-Germanic *þekuz (“thick”), from Proto-Indo-European *tégus (“thick”). Cognate with Danish tyk (“thick”), Dutch dik (“thick”), Faroese tjúkkur (“thick”), German dick (“thick”), Icelandic þykkur (“thick”), Norwegian Bokmål tykk (“thick”), Norwegian Nynorsk tjukk (“thick”), Saterland Frisian tjuk (“thick”), Swedish tjock (“thick”). Related to Old Irish tiug (“thick”) and Welsh tew (“thick”).
Pronunciation
Audio (file) - enPR: thĭk
- (Received Pronunciation, General American, General Australian) IPA(key): /θɪk/
- (General New Zealand) IPA(key): /θɘk/
Audio (US): [θe̞k] (file) - Rhymes: -ɪk
Adjective
thick (comparative thicker, superlative thickest)
- Relatively great in extent from one surface to the opposite in its smallest solid dimension.
- Synonyms: broad; see also Thesaurus:wide
- Antonyms: slim, thin; see also Thesaurus:narrow
- 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 17, in The China Governess[1]:
- The face which emerged was not reassuring. It was blunt and grey, the nose springing thick and flat from high on the frontal bone of the forehead, whilst his eyes were narrow slits of dark in a tight bandage of tissue. […].
Relatively definition
Proportionally, in relation to some larger scale thing. (1 of 2 relatively definitions)
Opposite definition
Located directly across from something else, or from each other. (1 of 5 opposite definitions)
Solid definition
That can be picked up or held, having a texture, and usually firm. Unlike a liquid or a gas. (1 of 16 solid definitions)
Dimension definition
A single aspect of a given thing. (Can we add an example for this sense?) (1 of 8 dimension definitions)
Thin definition
Having little thickness or extent from one surface to its opposite. (1 of 10 thin definitions)
- Measuring a certain number of units in this dimension.
- I want some planks that are two inches thick.
Measure definition
A prescribed quantity or extent.- Moderation, temperance.
- A limit that cannot be exceeded; a bound. (Now chiefly in set phrases.)
- An (unspecified) portion or quantity.
Unit definition
Oneness, singularity, seen as a component of a whole number; a magnitude of one. (1 of 21 unit definitions)
- Heavy in build; thickset.
- Synonyms: chunky, solid, stocky, thickset
- Antonyms: slender, slight, slim, svelte, thin; see also Thesaurus:slender
- 2007, Knight, James T., Queen of the Hustle:
- As she twirled around in front of the mirror admiring how the dress showed off her thick booty, she felt like a princess in a children's storybook.
- 2009, Kenny Attaway, Nuthouse Love, page 82:
- JJ loved “average hood girls”, Cody loved dark-skinned thick girls and Mooch lusted for yellow-boned skinny woman.
- He had such a thick neck that he had to turn his body to look to the side.
- Densely crowded or packed.
- Synonyms: crowded, dense, packed; see also Thesaurus:compact
- Antonyms: sparse; see also Thesaurus:diffuse
- 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 3, in Mr. Pratt's Patients:
- My hopes wa'n't disappointed. I never saw clams thicker than they was along them inshore flats. I filled my dreener in no time, and then it come to me that 'twouldn't be a bad idee to get a lot more, take 'em with me to Wellmouth, and peddle 'em out. Clams was fairly scarce over that side of the bay and ought to fetch a fair price.
- We walked through thick undergrowth.
Densely definition
In a dense manner.
Crowded definition
Containing too many of something; teeming.
Packed definition
simple past tense and past participle of pack
Sparse definition
Having widely spaced intervals. (1 of 3 sparse definitions)
- Having a viscous consistency.
- Synonyms: glutinous, viscous; see also Thesaurus:viscous
- Antonyms: free-flowing, runny; see also Thesaurus:runny
- My mum’s gravy was thick but at least it moved about.
- Abounding in number.
- Synonyms: overflowing, swarming, teeming; see also Thesaurus:plentiful
- Antonyms: scant, scarce, slight
- The room was thick with reporters.
Overflowing definition
overflow
Teeming definition
present participle of teem
Scant definition
Very little, very few. (1 of 3 scant definitions)
Scarce definition
Uncommon, rare; difficult to find; insufficient to meet a demand. (1 of 2 scarce definitions)
- Impenetrable to sight.
- Synonyms: dense, opaque, solid; see also Thesaurus:opaque
- Antonyms: thin, transparent; see also Thesaurus:transparent
- We drove through thick fog.
Sight definition
The ability to see. (1 of 10 sight definitions)
Transparent definition
See-through, clear; having the property that light passes through it almost undisturbed, such that one can see through it clearly. (1 of 5 transparent definitions)
- (Of an accent) Prominent, strong.
- Greatly evocative of one's nationality or place of origin.
- He answered me in his characteristically thick Creole patois.
- Difficult to understand, or poorly articulated.
- Synonyms: unclear; see also Thesaurus:incomprehensible
- Antonyms: clear, lucid; see also Thesaurus:comprehensible
- We had difficulty understanding him with his thick accent.
Accent definition
A higher-pitched or stronger articulation of a particular syllable of a word or phrase in order to distinguish it from the others or to emphasize it. (1 of 21 accent definitions)
Prominent definition
standing out, or projecting; jutting; protuberant (1 of 3 prominent definitions)
Nationality definition
National, i.e. ethnic and/or cultural, character or identity. (1 of 5 nationality definitions)
Understand definition
To grasp a concept fully and thoroughly, especially to be aware of the meaning of and to be aware of the intent of. (1 of 3 understand definitions)
Poorly definition
In a poor manner or condition; without plenty, or sufficiency, or suitable provision for comfort. (1 of 5 poorly definitions)
Articulated definition
simple past tense and past participle of articulate
- Greatly evocative of one's nationality or place of origin.
- (informal) Stupid.
- Synonyms: dense, dumb (informal), stupid, thick as pigshit (taboo slang), thick as two short planks (slang); see also Thesaurus:stupid
- Antonyms: brainy (informal), intelligent, smart; see also Thesaurus:intelligent
- He was as thick as two short planks.
Stupid definition
Lacking in intelligence or exhibiting the quality of having been done by someone lacking in intelligence. (1 of 7 stupid definitions)
Dumb definition
Unable to speak; lacking power of speech (kept in "deaf, dumb, and blind"). (1 of 5 dumb definitions)
Thick As Pigshit definition
Alternative form of thick as pig shit
Thick As Two Short Planks definition
Very stupid.
Brainy definition
Very intellectually capable.
Intelligent definition
Of high or especially quick cognitive capacity, bright. (1 of 5 intelligent definitions)
- (informal) Friendly or intimate.
- Synonyms: chummy (UK, informal), close, close-knit, friendly, pally (informal), intimate, tight-knit
- Antonym: unacquainted
- They were as thick as thieves.
- 1859, Thomas Hughes, The Scouring of the White Horse
- Jem is a tall, good-looking fellow, as old as I am, and that's twenty-one last birthday; we came into the office together years ago, and have been very thick ever since
Friendly definition
Generally warm, approachable and easy to relate with in character. (1 of 8 friendly definitions)
Close definition
To remove a gap.- To obstruct (an opening).
- To move so that an opening is closed. (1 of 13 close definitions)
Unacquainted definition
Not acquainted, unfamiliar (with someone or something). (1 of 2 unacquainted definitions)
- Deep, intense, or profound.
Profound definition
Descending far below the surface; opening or reaching to great depth; deep. (1 of 5 profound definitions)
- (Britain, dated) troublesome; unreasonable
- 1969 Anita Leslie, Lady Randolph Churchill, New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, page 288:
- "Of course I was eager to put her affairs in order," George told my father, "but I found it a bit thick when expected to pay for Lord Randolph Churchill's barouche purchased in the '80s."
Unreasonable definition
Without the ability to reason; unreasoning. (1 of 2 unreasonable definitions)
- 1969 Anita Leslie, Lady Randolph Churchill, New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, page 288:
- (slang, chiefly of women) Curvy and voluptuous, and especially having large hips.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:voluptuous
- 1991, “Baby Got Back”, in Mack Daddy, performed by Sir Mix-a-Lot:
- A word to the thick soul sistas, I want to get with ya
Voluptuous definition
Suggestive of or characterized by full, generous, pleasurable sensation. (1 of 2 voluptuous definitions)
Derived terms
Translations
|
|
|
|
|
|
Adverb
thick (comparative thicker, superlative thickest)
- In a thick manner.
- Snow lay thick on the ground.
- Frequently or numerously.
- The arrows flew thick and fast around us.
Translations
Noun
thick (plural thicks)
- The thickest, or most active or intense, part of something.
- It was mayhem in the thick of battle.
- 1700, [John] Dryden, “Palamon and Arcite: Or, The Knight’s Tale. In Three Books.”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: Printed for Jacob Tonson, […], OCLC 228732415:
- He through a little window cast his sight / Through thick of bars, that gave a scanty light.
Active definition
Having the power or quality of acting; causing change; communicating action or motion; acting;—opposed to passive, that receives. (1 of 16 active definitions)
- A thicket.
- 1612, Michael Drayton, “(please specify the chapter)”, in [John Selden], editor, Poly-Olbion. Or A Chorographicall Description of Tracts, Riuers, Mountaines, Forests, and Other Parts of this Renowned Isle of Great Britaine, […], London: […] H[umphrey] L[ownes] for Mathew Lownes; I. Browne; I. Helme; I. Busbie, published 1613, OCLC 1049089293:
- gloomy thicks
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Qveene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for VVilliam Ponsonbie, OCLC 960102938, book II, canto III:
- Through the thicke they heard one rudely rush.
- (slang) A stupid person; a fool.
- 2014, Joseph O'Connor, The Thrill of It All, page 100:
- If there was doctorates in bollocksology and scratching yourself in bed, the two of you'd be professors by now. Pair of loafing, idle thicks.
Derived terms
Translations
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Dictionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Verb
thick (third-person singular simple present thicks, present participle thicking, simple past and past participle thicked)
- (archaic, transitive, intransitive) To thicken.
- 1595, Edmunde Spenser [i.e., Edmund Spenser], “[Amoretti.] Sonnet 7”, in Amoretti and Epithalamion. […], London: Printed [by Peter Short] for William Ponsonby, OCLC 932931864; reprinted in Amoretti and Epithalamion (The Noel Douglas Replicas), London: Noel Douglas […], 1927, OCLC 474036557:
- A wicked ambush , which lay hidden long In the close covert of her guilful eyen,
Thence breaking forth , did thick about me throng
- 1798, Coleridge, Samuel Taylor, chapter 3, in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, lines 193–194:
- The nightmare Life-in-death was she, / Who thicks man's blood with cold.
Intransitive definition
not transitive: not having, or not taking, a direct object (1 of 2 intransitive definitions)
Synonyms
- See also Thesaurus:thicken