2thumb verb
thumbs; thumbed; thumb·ing informal : to ask for or get a ride in a passing vehicle by sticking out your arm with your thumb up as you stand on the side of the road : hitchhike [+ obj] ▪ I thumbed a ride/lift to school. ▪ He thumbed his way to New York. [no obj] ▪ He thumbed across the country.
thumb through [phrasal verb]
thumb through (something) : to turn the pages of (a book, magazine, etc.) quickly
▪ I thumbed through a magazine while I waited.
▪ I thumbed through a magazine while I waited.
thumb your nose at
: to show very clearly that you do not like or care about (something)
▪ She thumbed her nose at my suggestions. ▪ They thumb their nose at the rules. [=they ignore the rules]
▪ She thumbed her nose at my suggestions. ▪ They thumb their nose at the rules. [=they ignore the rules]
— thumbed adjective — used in combination ▪ a well-thumbed book [=a book that has been used/read a lot] ▪ a much-thumbed copy of the rules
