"thumbs up" meaning in English

See thumbs up in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Forms: thumbs up [plural], thumbs-up [alternative], thumb up [alternative, rare], thumb-up [alternative, rare]
Etymology: Said to refer to the signal of approval or disapproval used by spectators at a Roman amphitheatre, but the directions have been reversed, and the Roman gesture was a bent thumb. Head templates: {{en-noun|*}} thumbs up (plural thumbs up)
  1. A gesture signifying approval or okay; a thumb pointing up out of a fist. Derived forms: thumbs-up [verb] Related terms: 👍 Translations (a gesture signifying approval or okay): जयकार (jaykār) [masculine] (Hindi), विजयोत्सव (vijyotsav) [masculine] (Hindi), 엄지척 (eomjicheok) (Korean), 따봉 (ttabong) (Korean), joinha [masculine] (Portuguese), fixe [masculine] (Portuguese), pulgar arriba [masculine] (Spanish), pulgar bueno [masculine] (Spanish), tumme upp (Swedish), tummen upp (Swedish)
    Sense id: en-thumbs_up-en-noun-6lrqoC-J Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English links with manual fragments, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 55 45 Disambiguation of English links with manual fragments: 68 32 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 48 52 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 47 53 Disambiguation of 'a gesture signifying approval or okay': 87 13
  2. An approval or OK. Translations (an approval or OK): joia [masculine] (Portuguese), aprobación [feminine] (Spanish), asenso [masculine] (Spanish), tumme upp (Swedish), tummen upp (Swedish), grönt ljus [neuter] (Swedish)
    Sense id: en-thumbs_up-en-noun-QOFfnEyY Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Hindi translations, Terms with Korean translations, Terms with Portuguese translations, Terms with Spanish translations, Terms with Swedish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 55 45 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 48 52 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 47 53 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 43 57 Disambiguation of Terms with Hindi translations: 33 67 Disambiguation of Terms with Korean translations: 32 68 Disambiguation of Terms with Portuguese translations: 32 68 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 33 67 Disambiguation of Terms with Swedish translations: 32 68 Disambiguation of 'an approval or OK': 9 91

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "word": "thumbs down"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Said to refer to the signal of approval or disapproval used by spectators at a Roman amphitheatre, but the directions have been reversed, and the Roman gesture was a bent thumb.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "thumbs up",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "thumbs-up",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "thumb up",
      "tags": [
        "alternative",
        "rare"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "thumb-up",
      "tags": [
        "alternative",
        "rare"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "thumbs up (plural thumbs up)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "55 45",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "68 32",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English links with manual fragments",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "48 52",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "47 53",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "derived": [
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "tags": [
            "verb"
          ],
          "word": "thumbs-up"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              25,
              34
            ]
          ],
          "text": "He smiled and gave a big thumbs up.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A gesture signifying approval or okay; a thumb pointing up out of a fist."
      ],
      "id": "en-thumbs_up-en-noun-6lrqoC-J",
      "links": [
        [
          "gesture",
          "gesture"
        ],
        [
          "approval",
          "approve"
        ],
        [
          "okay",
          "okay"
        ],
        [
          "thumb",
          "thumb"
        ],
        [
          "fist",
          "fist"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "word": "👍"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "87 13",
          "code": "hi",
          "lang": "Hindi",
          "lang_code": "hi",
          "roman": "jaykār",
          "sense": "a gesture signifying approval or okay",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "जयकार"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 13",
          "code": "hi",
          "lang": "Hindi",
          "lang_code": "hi",
          "roman": "vijyotsav",
          "sense": "a gesture signifying approval or okay",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "विजयोत्सव"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 13",
          "code": "ko",
          "lang": "Korean",
          "lang_code": "ko",
          "roman": "eomjicheok",
          "sense": "a gesture signifying approval or okay",
          "word": "엄지척"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 13",
          "code": "ko",
          "lang": "Korean",
          "lang_code": "ko",
          "roman": "ttabong",
          "sense": "a gesture signifying approval or okay",
          "word": "따봉"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 13",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "lang_code": "pt",
          "sense": "a gesture signifying approval or okay",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "joinha"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 13",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "lang_code": "pt",
          "sense": "a gesture signifying approval or okay",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "fixe"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 13",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "lang_code": "es",
          "sense": "a gesture signifying approval or okay",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "pulgar arriba"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 13",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "lang_code": "es",
          "sense": "a gesture signifying approval or okay",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "pulgar bueno"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 13",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "lang_code": "sv",
          "sense": "a gesture signifying approval or okay",
          "word": "tumme upp"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 13",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "lang_code": "sv",
          "sense": "a gesture signifying approval or okay",
          "word": "tummen upp"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "55 45",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "48 52",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "47 53",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "43 57",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "33 67",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Hindi translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "32 68",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Korean translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "32 68",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Portuguese translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "33 67",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "32 68",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Swedish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              11,
              20
            ]
          ],
          "text": "We got the thumbs up to go ahead with the project.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An approval or OK."
      ],
      "id": "en-thumbs_up-en-noun-QOFfnEyY",
      "links": [
        [
          "approval",
          "approval"
        ],
        [
          "OK",
          "OK#Noun"
        ]
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "9 91",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "lang_code": "pt",
          "sense": "an approval or OK",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "joia"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "9 91",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "lang_code": "es",
          "sense": "an approval or OK",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "aprobación"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "9 91",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "lang_code": "es",
          "sense": "an approval or OK",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "asenso"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "9 91",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "lang_code": "sv",
          "sense": "an approval or OK",
          "word": "tumme upp"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "9 91",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "lang_code": "sv",
          "sense": "an approval or OK",
          "word": "tummen upp"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "9 91",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "lang_code": "sv",
          "sense": "an approval or OK",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "grönt ljus"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "thumbs up"
}
{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "word": "thumbs down"
    }
  ],
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English links with manual fragments",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Hindi translations",
    "Terms with Korean translations",
    "Terms with Portuguese translations",
    "Terms with Spanish translations",
    "Terms with Swedish translations"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "tags": [
        "verb"
      ],
      "word": "thumbs-up"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Said to refer to the signal of approval or disapproval used by spectators at a Roman amphitheatre, but the directions have been reversed, and the Roman gesture was a bent thumb.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "thumbs up",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "thumbs-up",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "thumb up",
      "tags": [
        "alternative",
        "rare"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "thumb-up",
      "tags": [
        "alternative",
        "rare"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "thumbs up (plural thumbs up)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "👍"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              25,
              34
            ]
          ],
          "text": "He smiled and gave a big thumbs up.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A gesture signifying approval or okay; a thumb pointing up out of a fist."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "gesture",
          "gesture"
        ],
        [
          "approval",
          "approve"
        ],
        [
          "okay",
          "okay"
        ],
        [
          "thumb",
          "thumb"
        ],
        [
          "fist",
          "fist"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              11,
              20
            ]
          ],
          "text": "We got the thumbs up to go ahead with the project.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An approval or OK."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "approval",
          "approval"
        ],
        [
          "OK",
          "OK#Noun"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "hi",
      "lang": "Hindi",
      "lang_code": "hi",
      "roman": "jaykār",
      "sense": "a gesture signifying approval or okay",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "जयकार"
    },
    {
      "code": "hi",
      "lang": "Hindi",
      "lang_code": "hi",
      "roman": "vijyotsav",
      "sense": "a gesture signifying approval or okay",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "विजयोत्सव"
    },
    {
      "code": "ko",
      "lang": "Korean",
      "lang_code": "ko",
      "roman": "eomjicheok",
      "sense": "a gesture signifying approval or okay",
      "word": "엄지척"
    },
    {
      "code": "ko",
      "lang": "Korean",
      "lang_code": "ko",
      "roman": "ttabong",
      "sense": "a gesture signifying approval or okay",
      "word": "따봉"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "lang_code": "pt",
      "sense": "a gesture signifying approval or okay",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "joinha"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "lang_code": "pt",
      "sense": "a gesture signifying approval or okay",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "fixe"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "lang_code": "es",
      "sense": "a gesture signifying approval or okay",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "pulgar arriba"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "lang_code": "es",
      "sense": "a gesture signifying approval or okay",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "pulgar bueno"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "lang_code": "sv",
      "sense": "a gesture signifying approval or okay",
      "word": "tumme upp"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "lang_code": "sv",
      "sense": "a gesture signifying approval or okay",
      "word": "tummen upp"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "lang_code": "pt",
      "sense": "an approval or OK",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "joia"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "lang_code": "es",
      "sense": "an approval or OK",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "aprobación"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "lang_code": "es",
      "sense": "an approval or OK",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "asenso"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "lang_code": "sv",
      "sense": "an approval or OK",
      "word": "tumme upp"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "lang_code": "sv",
      "sense": "an approval or OK",
      "word": "tummen upp"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "lang_code": "sv",
      "sense": "an approval or OK",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "grönt ljus"
    }
  ],
  "word": "thumbs up"
}

Download raw JSONL data for thumbs up meaning in English (4.0kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-03-25 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-03-03 using wiktextract (05c257f and 9d9a410). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.