Thumbing Meaning in English

word · lemma: thumb

US

ˈθəmɪŋ

THUM-ing

UK

θˈʌmɪŋ

THUM-ing

Definition

Moving your thumb to turn pages quickly in a book or to scroll through content on a phone or tablet screen.

Usage & Nuances

Can refer to turning pages in a book ('thumbing through a magazine') or scrolling with the thumb on a device. Common in modern digital context ('thumbing through photos'), and sometimes used metaphorically for quickly reviewing information. Not used for typing with thumbs; that would be 'texting'.

• Spanish: hojear (libro) - deslizar con el pulgar (pantalla)
• Portuguese (BR): folhear (livro) - deslizar o polegar (em tela)
• Portuguese (PT): folhear (livro) - deslizar o polegar (em ecrã)
• Chinese (Simplified): 用拇指翻动（书）- 用拇指滑动（屏幕）
• Chinese (Traditional): 用拇指翻動（書）- 用拇指滑動（螢幕）
• Hindi: अंगूठे से पलटना (किताब) - अंगूठे से स्क्रीन स्क्रॉल करना
• Arabic: تصفح بإبهامه (كتاب) - التمرير بالإبهام (شاشة)
• Bengali: অঙ্গুলিভঙ্গি করা - আঙুল চালানো (পৃষ্ঠায় বা পর্দায়)
• Russian: листать - пролистывать (большим пальцем)
• Japanese: 親指でめくる - 親指でスクロールする
• Vietnamese: lướt (bằng ngón cái)
• Korean: 엄지로 넘기기 - 엄지로 스크롤하기
• Turkish: başparmakla çevirmek - başparmakla kaydırmak
• Urdu: انگوٹھے سے پلٹنا - انگوٹھے سے اسکرول کرنا
• Indonesian: membalik (menggunakan ibu jari) - menggulir dengan ibu jari

Example Sentences

She is thumbing through her favorite magazine.

basic

He spent the morning thumbing through old letters.

basic

The boy is thumbing through his phone looking for music.

basic

I caught him thumbing through my notes when I walked in.

natural

After thumbing through a hundred photos, she finally found the one she wanted.

natural

He spent all night thumbing through social media feeds.

natural