thick

/θɪk/

/θɪk/

Other forms: thicker; thickest; thicks

When something's thick, it's wide from one side to the other, like a thick piece of French toast or a thick layer of snow on your car.

Thick things are broad or bulky or decidedly not thin — think of the thick slab of ice you need in order to skate safely on a lake. Thick can also mean "dense," like a thick chocolate milkshake, or your sister's thick, curly hair. If the kid who sits beside you in math class sees your test grade and calls you thick, it's not a compliment: she means you're not very smart.

Definitions of thick
  1. adjective
    not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions
    “an inch thick”
    “a thick board”
    “a thick sandwich”
    “spread a thick layer of butter”
    “thick coating of dust”
    “thick warm blankets”
    Synonyms:
    fat
    having an (over)abundance of flesh
    deep
    relatively thick from top to bottom
    deep-chested
    thick in the chest
    fat
    having a relatively large diameter
    four-ply
    having a thickness made up of four layers or strands
    heavy
    made of fabric having considerable thickness
    heavy
    of relatively large extent and density
    quilted
    made of layers of fabric held together by patterned stitching
    thickened
    made or having become thick
    three-ply
    having a thickness made up of three layers or strands
    two-ply
    having a thickness made up of two layers or strands
    broad, wide
    having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
    see moresee less
    Antonyms:
    thin
    of relatively small extent from one surface to the opposite or in cross section
    lean, thin
    lacking excess flesh
    bladed
    composed of thin flat plates resembling a knife blade
    capillary, hairlike
    long and slender with a very small internal diameter
    compressed, flat
    flattened laterally along the whole length (e.g., certain leafstalks or flatfishes)
    depressed
    flattened downward as if pressed from above or flattened along the dorsal and ventral surfaces
    cobwebby, diaphanous, filmy, gauze-like, gauzy, gossamer, see-through, sheer, transparent, vaporous, vapourous
    so thin as to transmit light
    filamentlike, filamentous, filiform, threadlike, thready
    thin in diameter; resembling a thread
    fine
    thin in thickness or diameter
    light
    very thin and insubstantial
    hyperfine
    extremely fine or thin, as in a spectral line split into two or more components
    paper thin
    thin as paper
    papery
    thin and paperlike
    ribbonlike, ribbony
    long and thin; resembling a ribbon
    sleazy
    of cloth; thin and loosely woven
    slender
    having little width in proportion to the length or height
    tenuous
    very thin in gauge or diameter
    wafer-thin
    very thin
    narrow
    not wide
    show more antonyms...
  2. adjective
    having component parts closely crowded together
    “thick crowds”
    “a thick forest”
    “thick hair”
    Synonyms:
    concentrated
    gathered together or made less diffuse
  3. adjective
    hard to pass through because of dense growth
    “thick woods”
    synonyms: dense
    impenetrable
    not admitting of penetration or passage into or through
  4. adjective
    relatively dense in consistency
    “thick cream”
    “thick soup”
    “thick smoke”
    “thick fog”
    Synonyms:
    clogged, clotted
    thickened or coalesced in soft thick lumps (such as clogs or clots)
    coagulable
    capable of coagulating and becoming thick
    coagulate, coagulated, curdled, grumose, grumous
    transformed from a liquid into a soft semisolid or solid mass
    creamy
    thick like cream
    dense, heavy, impenetrable
    permitting little if any light to pass through because of denseness of matter
    gelatinlike, gelatinous, jellylike
    thick like gelatin
    ropey, ropy, stringy, thready
    forming viscous or glutinous threads
    soupy
    having the consistency and appearance of soup
    syrupy, viscous
    having a relatively high resistance to flow
    thickened
    made thick in consistency
    see moresee less
    Antonyms:
    thin
    relatively thin in consistency or low in density; not viscous
    tenuous
    having thin consistency
    rare, rarefied, rarified
    having low density
    show more antonyms...
  5. adjective
    abounding; having a lot of
    “the top was thick with dust”
    Synonyms:
    abundant, aplenty
    present in great quantity
  6. adjective
    (of darkness) very intense
    “thick night”
    “thick darkness”
    synonyms: deep
    intense
    possessing or displaying a distinctive feature to a heightened degree
  7. noun
    the location of something surrounded by other things
    synonyms: midst
    see moresee less
    type of:
    inside, interior
    the region that is inside of something
  8. adverb
    with a thick consistency
    “the blood was flowing thick”
    synonyms: thickly
    see moresee less
    Antonyms:
    thin, thinly
    without viscosity
  9. adverb
    in quick succession
    “misfortunes come fast and thick”
    synonyms: thickly
  10. adjective
    spoken as if with a thick tongue
    synonyms: slurred
    unintelligible
    poorly articulated or enunciated, or drowned by noise
  11. adjective
    having a short and solid form or stature
    synonyms: compact, heavyset, stocky, thickset
    little, short
    low in stature; not tall
  12. adjective
    (used informally) associated on close terms
    “the two were thick as thieves for months”
    synonyms: buddy-buddy, chummy
    close
    close in relevance or relationship
  13. adjective
    (used informally) stupid
    synonyms: blockheaded, boneheaded, duncical, duncish, fatheaded, loggerheaded, thick-skulled, thickheaded, wooden-headed
    stupid
    lacking or marked by lack of intellectual acuity
Pronunciation
US

/θɪk/
UK

/θɪk/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘thick'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
Word Family

Vocabulary lists containing thick

"Saying Yes" and "A Lion Hunt"

Learn these words from the poem by Diana Chang and the autobiography by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton (Inside: Level C, Unit 1). Here are our links to the selections of "Decision Point": American Names, Saying Yes; A Lion Hunt, From Kenya to America, The House on Mango Street; The Road Not Taken Here are our links to the units of Level C: Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4, Unit 5, Unit 6, Unit 7, Unit 8 Here are our links to the Inside books: Level A, Level B, Level C Here is our link to a list of academic vocabulary for Inside: Academic Vocabulary

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