thread

CEFRB1

/θɹɛd/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A thin strand used for sewing or tying.

  2. 02

    verb

    To pass something through a narrow opening.

Examples

  • My grandma stooped down and picked up a needle and thread.

  • I’ve lost the thread of what you’re saying.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
2

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. A piece of yarn, especially said of warps and wefts in a woven fabric.

  2. Any of various natural (as spiderweb, etc.) or manufactured filaments (as glass, plastic, metal, etc.).

  3. A cord formed by spinning or twisting together textile fibers or filaments into one or more continuous strands, typically used in needlework.

More examples

In context

  • This thread tangles easily.

  • the threads of a spiderweb

  • a thread of water

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The tailor used a very thin blank to stitch the delicate fabric carefully.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English thred, þred, threed, from Old English þrǣd, from Proto-Germanic *þrēduz, from Proto-Indo-European *treh₁-tu-s, from *terh₁- (“rub, twist”). Cognates Cognate with Yola dreade (“thread”), Saterland Frisian Träid (“thread, wire”), Cimbrian draat (“string, thread”), Dutch draad (“thread, wire”), German Draht (“thread, wire”), Luxembourgish Drot (“wire”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish tråd (“thread, wire”), Faroese tráður (“thread”), Icelandic þráður (“thread”). Non-Germanic cognates include Albanian dredh (“twist, turn”). More at throw.