Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Having little distance between opposite surfaces: Describes something with a small thickness or depth.
   • Having little body fat or flesh; slender: Describes a person or animal that is not fat.
   • Having low density or viscosity; not thick: Describes a liquid, gas, or substance that flows easily.
   • Sparse or not closely packed: Describes things that are few and far apart.
   • Lacking substance, force, or quality: Describes something weak, feeble, or unconvincing.

2. Adverb:

   • In a thin manner: To spread or distribute something so it is not thick or dense.

3. Verb:

   • To make or become thin: To reduce the thickness, density, or number of something.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • She cut the bread into thin slices. (Describing small thickness)
  • He has become very thin after his illness. (Describing a slender body)
  • The soup was too thin and watery. (Describing a low-density liquid)
  • The trees are thin at the top of the mountain. (Describing sparse distribution)
  • He gave a thin excuse for being late. (Describing a weak reason)

• Adverb:

  • Slice the cheese thin for the sandwiches.

• Verb:

  • You should thin the paint with a little water. (To make less viscous)
  • The crowd began to thin after the concert ended. (To become less dense)

Advanced Usage

• "thin on the ground": scarce or few in number.
  • Good mechanics are thin on the ground in this area.
• "thin skin": sensitivity to criticism or insult.
  • You need a thick skin in politics, not a thin skin.
• "thin air": used to emphasize that something appears or disappears suddenly and mysteriously.
  • The money seemed to vanish into thin air.

Variants and Related Words

• Thinly (adverb): in a thin manner.
  • The butter was spread thinly on the toast.
• Thinness (noun): the state or quality of being thin.
  • The thinness of the ice made it dangerous to walk on.
• Thinner (noun): a liquid used to dilute paint or other substances.
  • Use paint thinner to clean the brushes.

Synonyms

• Adjective: slender, slim, lean, fine, flimsy, weak, dilute, sparse.
• Verb: dilute, reduce, weaken, trim, prune.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• thin out: to make or become less dense or crowded.
  • We need to thin out these seedlings so the others can grow.
  • The traffic finally thinned out after the rush hour.

Related Idioms

• wear thin: to become less effective, convincing, or tolerable over time.
  • His patience was beginning to wear thin.
• on thin ice: in a risky or dangerous situation.
  • By lying to his boss, he was skating on thin ice.
• the thin end of the wedge: a small, seemingly harmless beginning that may lead to something more serious or undesirable.
  • Allowing them to change the rules now is just the thin end of the wedge.

Adjective

1. lacking substance or significance; a fragile claim to fame"
   • slight evidence
   • a tenuous argument
   • a thin plot
2. lacking spirit or sincere effort
   • a thin smile
3. (of sound) lacking resonance or volume
   • a thin feeble cry
4. relatively thin in consistency or low in density; not viscous
   • air is thin at high altitudes
   • a thin soup
   • skimmed milk is much thinner than whole milk
   • thin oil
5. not dense
   • a thin beard
   • trees were sparse
6. very narrow
   • a thin line across the page
7. lacking excess flesh
   • you can't be too rich or too thin
   • Yon Cassius has a lean and hungry look-Shakespeare
8. of relatively small extent from one surface to the opposite or in cross section
   • thin wire
   • a thin chiffon blouse
   • a thin book
   • a thin layer of paint

Adverb

1. without viscosity
   • the blood was flowing thin

Verb

1. take off weight
2. lessen the strength or flavor of a solution or mixture
   • cut bourbon
3. make thin or thinner
   • Thin the solution
4. lose thickness; become thin or thinner