THUMBS-UP Definition & Meaning

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thumbs-up

[ thuhmz-uhp ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

Informal.

an act, instance, or gesture of assent, approval, or the like.

thumbs up

Expressions of approval and disapproval respectively: “The two critics disagreed about the movie; one gave it thumbs up, the other thumbs down.” In the gladiatorial contests of ancient Rome , a thumbs-up gesture from the crowd meant that the loser would live; thumbs down meant death.

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of thumbs-up¹

First recorded in 1920–25

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Idioms and Phrases

An expression of approval or hopefulness, as in The town said thumbs up on building the elderly housing project . The antonym thumbs down indicates disapproval or rejection, as in Mother gave us thumbs down on serving beer at our party . Alluding to crowd signals used in Roman amphitheaters, these idioms were first recorded in English about 1600. In ancient times the meaning of the gestures was opposite that of today. Thumbs down indicated approval; thumbs up, rejection. Exactly when the reversal occurred is not known, but the present conventions were established by the early 1900s.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Alongside a photo of himself giving a thumbs-up from a hospital bed, Morgan told fans that the scare was nothing more than "food poisoning."

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Some readers announced they were canceling their Times subscriptions, saying they didn’t want their money to support a publication that, somehow, gave a thumbs-up to the Klan.

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I can only imagine Dwyre finishing writing, looking over his shoulder and seeing Jim Murray giving him a thumbs-up!

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He smiled at his parents and gave a thumbs-up gesture from the dock after the jury foreman returned the not guilty verdicts.

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However, Scott then played 2 Unlimited's 1993 dance classic No Limit, to which Hilda moved along, gave the thumbs-up and responded: "I rather like that."

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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