thin

thin1 [ θın ] adjective ***

▸ 1 short between edges

▸ 2 with little fat on body

▸ 3 small in number/amount

▸ 4 flowing easily

▸ 5 without much evidence

▸ 6 growing far apart

▸ 7 about voice/sound

▸ 8 air: with little oxygen

▸ 9 smile: not sincere

▸ + PHRASES

1. ) a thin object or material has only a short distance between two opposite sides, edges, or surfaces:

The box was covered with a thin layer of dust.

There's a thin crack in the glass.

Cut the cucumbers and tomatoes into thin slices.

a ) someone with thin features has a long and narrow mouth, nose, etc.:

thin lips

2. ) someone who is thin has very little fat on their body:

Charles was thin and very tall.

She has been sick and is much too thin.

a ) a thin part of the body has very little fat on it:

thin bony arms

3. ) small in number or amount:

Dexter won by a thin margin (=a small number of votes).

4. ) a thin liquid contains mostly water, so that it flows easily:

a plate of meat covered with thin gravy

5. ) a thin explanation, argument, statement, etc. does not have enough evidence or detail to be effective

6. ) thin hair, fur, or plants do not look solid because there are spaces between the individual hairs or leaves:

a thin mustache

7. ) a thin voice or sound is high and unpleasant to listen to:

I heard a thin high cry.

8. ) thin air has less oxygen in it than usual:

In the mountains, the air is thinner.

9. ) if someone gives a thin smile, their lips move but the feeling is not sincere

have a thin skin INFORMAL

to be very sensitive to criticism or insults:

If you have a thin skin, you'll never survive in politics.

(skating) on thin ice

doing something dangerous, or something that could have an unpleasant result

thin air

1. ) out of/from thin air if something appears from thin air, it appears suddenly in a mysterious way

2. ) into thin air if something disappears into thin air, it disappears suddenly in a mysterious way

thin on the ground

not available in large amounts or numbers

thin on top HUMOROUS

losing your hair:

Dad is starting to look a little thin on top.

╾ thin|ness noun uncount

=> THINLY

thin

thin 2 [ θın ] verb

1. ) thin or thin down transitive to make something smaller in number, amount, or size:

Sales have decreased and we've decided to thin our workforce.

Police thinned down the crowd.

a ) intransitive to become smaller in number, amount, or size

2. ) thin or thin out transitive to remove plants, leaves, trees, etc. so that they do not fill an area or space completely

3. ) transitive to make a thick liquid become less thick by adding water or another liquid to it

4. ) intransitive if someone's hair thins, they gradually lose the hair from their head:

a man with gray thinning hair

,thin `down phrasal verb intransitive or transitive

same as THIN 2 1

,thin `out phrasal verb transitive

same as THIN 2 2

thin

thin 3 [ θın ] adverb

in a way that produces a thin layer or piece of something:

If you cut the cheese thinner, it will melt faster.