adj

thin

THIHN

adj

Having little distance between opposite surfaces; not thick.

"She sliced the bread into thin, even pieces."

Having little body fat; slim or lean.

"He looked thin after weeks of illness."

"The greyhound was thin but incredibly fast."

Runny; of low viscosity.

"Add water if the paint is too thin."

Sparse; not densely packed or crowded.

"Attendance at the meeting was thin this week."

Weak or unconvincing, said of an argument, excuse, or plot.

"His alibi sounded pretty thin to the detective."

verb

To make or become less dense, crowded, or concentrated.

"Gardeners thin out seedlings to give the strongest ones room to grow."

How to Use Thin

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishNot thick — used for physical width, body size, liquids, crowds, or weak arguments.

Common mistake

Don't confuse "thin" (lacking width/body fat, usually neutral or positive) with "skinny" (similar meaning but can sound more judgmental).

Common pairings

thin slice thin air wear thin thin ice

thinner comparative, more thin comparative, thinned past tense, thins plural, thins singular, thinnest superlative, most thin superlative

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Test yourself on “thin” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Can you complete this real example?

She sliced the bread into _____, even pieces.

From Old English þynne, an ancient Germanic word related to "stretch" — something stretched thin has little thickness.

skinny slender slim svelte waifish scrawny watery sparse

thick

small thick overweight slim wet wide broad sharp

hin chin shin urchin within Machin Cochin dolphin dauphin

skinny slender slim svelte waifish scrawny watery sparse thick small overweight wet