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thick Definition

thick (t̸hik)

adjective

  1. having relatively great depth; of considerable extent from one surface or side to the opposite; not thin a thick board
  2. having relatively large diameter in relation to length a thick pipe
  3. as measured in the third dimension or between opposite surfaces a wall six inches thick
  4. having the constituent elements abundant and close together; specif.,
    1. marked by profuse, close growth; luxuriant thick hair, thick woods
    2. great in number and packed closely together a thick crowd
    3. having much body; not thin in consistency; viscous thick soup
    4. dense and heavy thick smoke, a thick snowfall
    5. filled with smoke, fog, or other vapors
    6. covered to a considerable depth roads thick with mud
    7. sprinkled or studded profusely a sky thick with stars
  5. impenetrably dark, dismal, or obscure the thick shadows of night
    1. sounding blurred, slurred, muffled, fuzzy, etc., or husky, hoarse, etc. a thick voice, thick speech
    2. strongly marked; pronounced speaking with a thick brogue
  7. Informal slow to understand; stupid
  8. Informal close in friendly association; intimate
  9. Chiefly Brit., Informal too much to be tolerated; excessive

Etymology: ME thikke < OE thicce, thick, dense, akin to Ger dick < IE base *tegu-, thick, fat > OIr tiug

adverb

in a thick way

noun

the thickest part or the period of greatest activity in the thick of the fight

thick Related Forms

thick′·ish adjective thick′ly adverb

thick Idioms

through thick and thin

in good times and bad times; in every eventuality

thick Synonyms

thick

modif.

  1. Dense

    compact, dense, close, impenetrable, impervious, condensed, compressed, multitudinous, numerous, lush, rank, crowded, solid, packed, populous, profuse, populated, swarming, heaped, abundant, concentrated, crammed, full, congested, packed together, closely packed, inspissated, like sardines in a can*, jam-packed*; see also full 1, 3, jammed 2.

    Antonyms scattered*, sparse*, wide-open. *

  2. Deep

    high, in depth, three-dimensional, from front to back, edgewise; see also deep 2.

    Antonyms long*, wide*, across. *

  3. Of heavy consistency

    compact, heavy, viscous, viscid, dense, syrupy, ropy, coagulated, imporous, curdled, turbid, gelatinous, grumous, glutinous, gummous, gummy, grumose, opaque, vitrified, ossified, clotted; see also adhesive.

    Antonyms light*, porous*, filmy. *

  4. Not clear

    cloudy, turbid, indistinct; see dull 2, muddy 1, obscure 1.

  5. Stupid

    obtuse, ignorant, doltish; see dull 3.

  6. *Intimate

    cordial, familiar, fraternal; see friendly 1, intimate 1.

  7. *Presumptuous

    insolent, tactless, unbearable; see rude 2.

thick, in this connection, suggests a great number of constituent parts massed tightly together thick fur; close, in this comparison, refers to something whose parts or elements are near together with little space between close-order drill; dense suggests such a crowding together of elements or parts as to form an almost impervious mass a dense fog; compact suggests close and firm packing, esp. within a small space, and usually implies neatness and order in the arrangement of parts a compact bundle

through thick and thin*

faithfully, devotedly, in good and bad times; see loyally.

thick Usage Examples

Preposition: on

ground: Classic car storage is not exactly thick on the ground, and undercover storage is even more scarce.

Preposition: as

plank: I think Nikki is quite astute ( bless her ) whereas Glyn appears to me to be as thick as two short planks.

Modifies a noun

  • fog: Thick fog lay way down in the valley below.
  • layer: The glass may be wrapped in a towel or thick layers of paper tissue.
  • slice: Take a large red, juicy tomato and slice into thick slices.
  • mist: The weather remained just as miserable, tho, with a worryingly thick mist enveloping the landscape.
  • cloud: Where does he live, and why does he only ever appear at night or in thick cloud?
  • coat: Where there is excess cold, the tongue has a thick white coat.

Modifying Another Word

  • slightly: The smooth round shafts, slightly thicker in the middle, appear to be productions of the lathe, rather than vegetable stems.
  • too: My eyebrows are too thick & close together, my legs too thin.
  • fairly: The process is based on a manganese phosphate solution which produces a fairly thick coating.

Used with adjective complement

  • grow: The path grew steeper and the snow grew thicker, quite uneven in parts and soon there was hail too.
  • become: The coronary arteries may also become thicker, leading to angina.
  • seem: Sieve or liquidize, and if it seems too thick, dilute with a little stock or water.

Preposition: of

  • fighting: During the game Zoff may appear almost unnoticed, in the thick of the fighting.
  • battle: Timothy is in the thick of battle, the middle of the marathon and the hard part of the growing season.
  • action: Former FONCY Player of the Year Jason Shackell was in the thick of the action for the first team against Chelsea on Saturday.
  • fight: Lang passed Boardman half-way round the first lap; Chisnall, meanwhile, was in the thick of a midfield fight.

Preposition: with

  • smoke: I dart into the smoking booth, it's thick with smoke and relieved smokers.
  • mud: The floor was thick with mud where ruffians had sat down to drink or consult after wading in the marshes round their camp.

Browse dictionary entries near thick

  1. ‹ Thibet
  2. ‹ Thibault
  3. ‹ thiazole
  4. ‹ thiazine
  5. ‹ thiamine
  6. ‹ thi-
  7. ‹ they've
  8. ‹ they're
  9. ‹ they'll
  10. ‹ they'd
  1. thick-skinned ›
  2. thick-skulled ›
  3. thick-witted ›
  4. thicken ›
  5. thickening ›
  6. thicket ›
  7. thickhead ›
  8. thickheaded ›
  9. thickness ›
  10. ThickNet ›