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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51�Թ� 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.

Sheinbaum, who has assailed the current judiciary as corrupt and plagued by nepotism, gave a thumbs-up to journalists early Sunday as she and her husband arrived at a polling place in the Museum of Art in downtown Mexico City.

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A fan of President Donald Trump, he flew to Washington during the campaign for an extremely brief meeting to get a thumbs-up photo of himself with the American president in the Oval Office.

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“And he gave me the thumbs-up and sort of facilitated the acquisition with Todd and then Eclipse had a horse in Todd’s barn.”

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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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thumb-sucker thumbtack

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