thumb through
phrasal verb
thumbed through; thumbing through; thumbs through
: to turn the pages of (a book, magazine, etc.) quickly
I thumbed through a magazine while I waited.
Examples of thumb through in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Jason and Susan’s three children and several grandchildren were gathered around his bed, thumbing through a stack of photo albums.
—
Julie McFadden, TIME, 10 June 2024
Keeping up with the news feels like watching two movies on different screens, while also thumbing through a social-media scroll.
—Harry Siegel, New York Daily News, 11 May 2024
For the duration of the event, the reporters remained on their phones or computers, either writing stories or thumbing through Twitter.
—Kyle Paoletta, Harper's Magazine, 30 Mar. 2024
As a result, the legislation left even conscientious employers the impossible task of thumbing through Social Security cards, multiple state driver's licenses, and other easy-to-forge documents to determine employment eligibility.
—Edward Alden, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2013
For those who are just catching up or don’t really have much emotionally invested in this year’s draft, the Cliff Notes version takes all of about five seconds to thumb through: There’s a general consensus that this is among the worst collection of talent in the draft in decades.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 24 May 2024
This is one of the larger independent bookstores in San Diego County and is filled with shelves of all shapes and sizes and cozy book nooks where readers can relax and thumb through their latest purchase.
3793 30th St., San Diego.
—Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2024
Hawke, who had arrived wearing a black The Who T-shirt, wide-legged black pants, and black ballet flats, thumbed through pleated skirts.
—Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
No mentally thumbing through potential column ideas; no planning the summer or even scheduling the next week.
—Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2024
Julie McFadden, TIME, 10 June 2024
Keeping up with the news feels like watching two movies on different screens, while also thumbing through a social-media scroll.
—Harry Siegel, New York Daily News, 11 May 2024
For the duration of the event, the reporters remained on their phones or computers, either writing stories or thumbing through Twitter.
—Kyle Paoletta, Harper's Magazine, 30 Mar. 2024
As a result, the legislation left even conscientious employers the impossible task of thumbing through Social Security cards, multiple state driver's licenses, and other easy-to-forge documents to determine employment eligibility.
—Edward Alden, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2013
For those who are just catching up or don’t really have much emotionally invested in this year’s draft, the Cliff Notes version takes all of about five seconds to thumb through: There’s a general consensus that this is among the worst collection of talent in the draft in decades.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 24 May 2024
This is one of the larger independent bookstores in San Diego County and is filled with shelves of all shapes and sizes and cozy book nooks where readers can relax and thumb through their latest purchase.
3793 30th St., San Diego.
—Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2024
Hawke, who had arrived wearing a black The Who T-shirt, wide-legged black pants, and black ballet flats, thumbed through pleated skirts.
—Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
No mentally thumbing through potential column ideas; no planning the summer or even scheduling the next week.
—Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thumb through.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near thumb through
Cite this Entry
“Thumb through.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thumb%20through. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share