Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A hero of English folklore, who was no bigger than his father's thumb.
  • noun A person of very small physical stature.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun The fictional character who is no bigger than his father's thumb and is the protagonist and hero of the fairy tale The History of Tom Thumb.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a very small person
  • noun an imaginary hero of English folklore who was no taller than his father's thumb

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Tom + thumb

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word Tom Thumb.

Examples

  • “One time, John and me and some other people, we had to get into a place with an electrified fence, and there was an old track like this, and we got a locomotive from a circus — pretty locomotive, painted all different colors, called Tom Thumb — and we drove right through the fence.”

    Drowned Hopes Westlake, Donald E. 1990

  • This is an incident of the earlier versions, omitted in deference to the critics, for which the reader will seek vainly in the play as now printed; and he will, moreover, discover that Mrs. Pilkington's memory served her imperfectly, since it is not Tom Thumb who kills the ghost, but the ghost of Tom Thumb which is killed by his jealous rival, Lord Grizzle.

    Fielding Dobson, Austin 1883

  • This is an incident of the earlier versions, omitted in deference to the critics, for which the reader will seek vainly in the play as now printed; and he will, moreover, discover that Mrs. Pilkington's memory served her imperfectly, since it is not Tom Thumb who kills the ghost, but the ghost of Tom Thumb which is killed by his jealous rival, Lord Grizzle.

    Fielding Austin Dobson 1880

  • This is an incident of the earlier versions, omitted in deference to the critics, for which the reader will seek vainly in the play as now printed; and he will, moreover, discover that Mrs. Pilkington’s memory served her imperfectly, since it is not Tom Thumb who kills the ghost, but the ghost of Tom Thumb which is killed by his jealous rival, Lord

    Fielding 1843

  • This is an incident of the earlier versions, omitted in deference to the critics, for which the reader will seek vainly in the play as now printed; and he will, moreover, discover that Mrs. Pilkington’s memory served her imperfectly, since it is not Tom Thumb who kills the ghost, but the ghost of Tom Thumb which is killed by his jealous rival, Lord

    Fielding 1843

  • Safeway has more than 1,700 stores across the USA and Canada, including the Carr's, Dominick's, Genuardi's, Pavilions, Randall's, Tom Thumb and VONS banners.

    Safeway scales the 'seafood scorecard' by Greenpeace 2011

  • Supermarket giant Safeway Inc., which operates Dominick's, Tom Thumb and Vons, said in a statement that these venues are more convenient than drugstores "because consumers visit grocery stores on a regular basis."

    Flu Vaccine Sales Could Use Shot in the Arm Timothy W. Martin 2011

  • Two of the most famous midgets got hitched, Tom Thumb and Lavinia Warren.

    Len Berman: Top 5 Sports Stories Len Berman 2011

  • No more drink for Tom Thumb said the voice in the control tower

    No more drink for Tom Thumb Neil McCarthy 2012

  • Safeway—which operates regional chains such as Vons, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Genuardi's and Carrs—has tried to offset such trends by selling more of its private-label products and controlling costs.

    Safeway Profit Up 6% Melodie Warner 2011

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.