yvlog

Advertisement

Advertisement

under someone's thumb



Discover More

Idioms and Phrases

Controlled or dominated by someone, as in He's been under his mother's thumb for years . The allusion in this metaphoric idiom is unclear, that is, why a thumb rather than a fist or some other anatomic part should symbolize control. [Mid-1700s]
Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

And she transforms it into this journey of self-discovery of Priscilla Presley going from being a young girl sort of under someone’s thumb to becoming a woman of her own sort of power and abilities.

From

"I want them to get the punishment that they deserve, because to be under someone's thumb, to do the things they want you to do for them... They steal your freedom - they use you, rule you - I don't know, it's very degrading."

From

“Not only was it disruptive, but it was embarrassing for her to be so viscerally reminded that she is under someone’s thumb. That was jarring.”

From

He’s always under someone’s thumb, indebted in ways he can’t begin to understand.

From

The right's culture wars have generally been based on stirring up people's fear of others, and a fear of losing control over people who have long been under someone's thumb.

From

Advertisement

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement