The Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

galvanizing, enlivening, stirring, titillating, striking, moving, arousing, rousing, gripping, sensational, riveting, spine-tingling, soul-stirring: Last year's Cup Final was a thrilling match, with most sides playing their hearts out. I have never had such thrilling rides at the fun fair.

thrive v. succeed, prosper, boom, advance, flourish, grow, bloom, burgeon, develop, wax, increase, fructify, ripen: They thrived in the invigorating mountain air.

crush, jam, multitude, congregation, press, swarm, herd, flock, bevy, drove: Throngs of people packed the shopping mall on Saturday.

--v. 2 crowd (into), fill, pack (into), cram (into), crush (into), jam (into), press (into), swarm (into), herd (into), flock (into or to); assemble (in or at), gather (in or at), mass (in or at), congregate (in or at): Thousands thronged the stadium to watch the tennis matches.

through prep. 1 because of, on account of, owing to, as a consequence or result of, by virtue of, via, be means of, by way of, with

the aid or help of, under the aegis or auspices of, Sometimes non-standard due to: It was through his good graces that I got the appointment. 2 during, throughout, in the course or middle of: The dog barked all through the night. 3 inclusive of, including: When I say 'the third through the sixth' I mean 'including the sixth'. 4 to; into: I went through a lot of

trouble to find this book.

--adj. 5 Often, through with. done (with), finished (with); at the end of one's tether (with), washing (one's) hands (of): Let

me know when you are through. How many times has she sworn she was through with him forever?

--adv. 6 by, past: I am just passing through. 7 entirely, through and through, completely, thoroughly, totally, wholly,

utterly, fully, to the core, from head to foot or toe, from top to bottom, from stem to stern, from one end to the other, in every way, in all respects: By the time I got home, I was soaked through.

throughout

prep. 1 during, all (the way) through, from the beginning to

the end of: We worked throughout the day and night. Throughout his life he felt the need for constant support. 2 everywhere in,

all over, in every part of, in every nook and cranny of, from one end to the other of: I searched throughout the house for my keys.

--adv. 3 all (the way) through, everywhere, from one end to the other, wholly, entirely, completely, fully: They were busy tidying the house throughout before his mother came to stay.

throw v. 1 toss, cast, hurl, fling, sling, pitch, dash, propel, project, shy, bowl, send, launch, Colloq chuck: He threw the ball to the batter with all his might. 2 cast, shed, project:

I was hoping you might throw some light on the subject. Coming events throw their shadow before them. 3 throw or bring down, floor, fell, knock down or over, overthrow, upset, overturn: He threw the vase on the floor. 4 dismay, confound, confuse, dumbfound or dumfound, baffle, disconcert, unnerve, throw off or out, unsettle, put off, put (someone) off his or her or their

stride or pace or stroke, Colloq discombobulate: Her frank questions about my private life really threw me. 5 throw away. a discard, cast off, dispose of, jettison, get rid of, scrap,

throw out, dispense with, Colloq dump, trash, chuck out, Slang ditch: He is a hoarder, refusing to throw anything away. b waste, squander, lose, forgo, fritter away, fail to exploit or take advantage of, Slang blow: He threw away his last chance for a decent life when he left her. 6 throw off. a eject,

expel, emit, throw up or out: The volcano throws off rocks every so often. b shake off, rid or free (oneself) of, get rid of, reject, renounce, repudiate: He finally managed to throw off his mother's pernicious influence. c deceive, mislead, decoy, misguide, misdirect, distract, divert, bewilder,

confound, confuse, Colloq flummox, bamboozle: He doubled back to throw the dogs off. d See 4, above. 7 throw out. a

radiate, emit, send forth, give out or off, diffuse, put out or forth, disseminate: The substance throws out a greenish light.

b expel, eject, force out, evict, Colloq Brit turf out, Slang

bounce: Henry was thrown out of the pub for rowdy behaviour. c See 5 (a), above. d See 6 (a), above. 8 throw over. jilt,

leave, abandon, desert, forsake, break or split up with, Colloq walk out on, chuck, drop: She was heartbroken when he threw her over and married her sister. 9 throw up. a vomit, spit up,

puke, spew up, be sick; regurgitate, disgorge, Colloq heave (up): He felt as if he was going to throw up. b abandon, quit, leave, throw over, give up, relinquish, resign, renounce, Colloq chuck: He threw up a perfectly good job to go and live on a boat. c reveal, bring out or up, bring to the surface or the

top, bring forward or forth, bring to light or to notice: Their treachery was thrown up in high relief by the events that followed. d throw or slap or knock together, jerry-build: The house was thrown up overnight - and it looks like it. e See 6 (a), above.

thrust v. 1 push, shove, drive, force, impel, ram, jam, butt, propel, prod, urge, press; shoulder, jostle, elbow: A stranger thrust this note into my hand. She thrust her way through the crowd. 2 stab, plunge, stick, jab, poke; lunge: He thrust the dagger

into the man's back. She thrust at me with an ice pick. 3 Usually, thrust upon. press (upon or on), impose (upon or on), force (upon or on), urge (upon or on): They were willing to help, but rather thought the problem had been thrust upon them.

rough, Slang tough, hood, crook, hit man, heavy, US goon, Australian larrikin: Some thugs roughed him up and took his wallet.

thumb n. 1 Technical pollex. 2 all thumbs. awkward, clumsy, maladroit, Colloq butter-fingered, ham-fisted, cack-handed: I

am all thumbs when it comes to threading needles. 3 give (something) the thumbs down or turn thumbs down (on). disapprove (of), reject, rebuff, turn down: We turned thumbs down to the

idea of a picnic. 4 turn or give thumbs up (to). approve (of), accept, welcome, Colloq OK or okay: The boss gave thumbs up to our request for a Christmas party. 5 under (one's) thumb. under (one's) control, wrapped (a)round (one's) little finger, in the

palm of (one's) hand, eating out of (one's hand), at (one's) beck and call: She has the directors under her thumb.

--v. 6 hitchhike, Colloq hitch, US hook a ride: They thumbed their way across the country. 7 Often, thumb through. leaf (through), flick or flip (through), riffle (through), skim (through), browse (through): I was thumbing through City Life and came across your picture, Bernard! 8 thumb (one's) nose at. scoff at, deride, jeer at, mock, dismiss, scorn, flout, be contemptuous of, show contempt for, exhibit defiance for, be defiant of, contemn, Brit cock a snook at: He has thumbed his nose at authority all his life.

thumbnail adj. rough, undetailed, cursory, sketchy, superficial; brief, short, quick; compact, concise, pithy, succinct: His poetry is

a chilling, thumbnail sketch of the way we live now.

thumping adj. 1 great, huge, colossal, stupendous, gigantic, enormous, immense, monumental, massive, titanic, elephantine, behemoth, gargantuan, mammoth, jumbo, Colloq whopping, thundering, walloping: That is the biggest thumping beach ball I have ever seen! That was a thumping lie. 2 complete, utter, unmitigated, 24-carat, perfect: Anyone who would turn down a salary increase must be a thumping idiot.

thunder n. 1 roll, reverberation, boom, booming, roar, roaring, pealing, rumble, rumbling; crash, crashing, crack, cracking, explosion, blast: We were deafened by the thunder of the tanks crossing the bridge above us.

--v. 2 roll, reverberate, boom, roar, rumble, resound; explode, crash, crack, blast: The noise of the jets thundered through the valley. 3 shout, yell, scream, bellow, bark, roar; denounce, fulminate against, swear (at), rail (at), curse (at), execrate; threaten, intimidate, menace: 'Fee, fie, foe, fum!' thundered the giant. No secretary will tolerate his thundering

at her.

thunderous

adj. roaring, booming, thundering, tumultuous, noisy, loud, ear-splitting, deafening: They took curtain calls to thunderous applause.

thunderstruck

adj. dumbfounded or dumfounded, astonished, astounded, awestruck, awed, speechless, struck dumb, amazed, taken aback, staggered, stunned, shocked, dazed, numb, paralysed, aghast, open-mouthed, nonplussed, Colloq flabbergasted, floored, bowled over, Brit knocked for six: We were thunderstruck to learn that our team had been disqualified.

wrote thus to him. 2 therefore, ergo, consequently, as a consequence, as a result, accordingly, (and) so, then, for this or that reason, hence, in which case or event, that being the case, that being so: He has already decided; thus, your efforts to persuade him are useless.

thwart v. 1 frustrate, impede, check, stymie, baffle, stop, foil, stump, hinder, obstruct, balk, block, oppose, negate, nullify, Colloq short-circuit: They have thwarted all our efforts to become friendly.

--n. 2 brace, cross-brace; (rowing-)seat, bench: These canoes are fitted with two thwarts.

20.4 tickle...

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tickle v. titillate, delight, please, gratify, amuse, entertain, divert, captivate, thrill, tickle pink or to death: The show we saw last night really tickled my fancy. She was tickled to receive the flowers.

ticklish adj. 1 uncertain, unsteady, unsure, unstable, unsettled, fickle, touch-and-go, touchy: Power that relies on the sword has a ticklish basis. 2 delicate, precarious, risky, hazardous,

away with anything under such tight regulations. I have a tight schedule next week. 4 Chiefly nautical taut, (well-)disciplined, orderly, neat, well-organized, trim, tidy, smart: He runs a tight ship. 5 stingy, niggardly, mean, penurious, miserly,

parsimonious, penny-pinching, tight-fisted, close-fisted, Colloq Brit mingy: Glenn is much too tight to buy anyone a drink. 6 close, (almost) even, (highly) competitive, neck and neck, evenly matched: It is going to be a tight race. 7 difficult, trying, dangerous, perilous, risky, hazardous, touchy, problematic, sticky, tricky, ticklish, precarious, touch-and-go: The strike has created a tight situation at the office. 8

tipsy, drunk, intoxicated, Colloq high, woozy, under the influence, Brit tiddly: When I saw her, she was too tight to drive. 9 scarce, scanty, hard to find or come by, rare; dear, expensive: Entrepreneurs have found investment money to be pretty tight this year.

--adv. 10 tightly, securely, firmly; closely: Keep this door closed tight. Hold me tight. Her hands were clasped tight in prayer. 11 compactly, densely, solidly, firmly, closely: We were packed so tight in the bus that no one could move.

tighten v. 1 Sometimes, tighten down or up. anchor, fasten, fix, tense, secure: Tighten those last two screws and you're finished. 2 make tighter or tenser or stronger, strengthen: He tightened

his grip on my hand. 3 Sometimes, tighten up. make more rigorous or strict or stringent or severe or restrictive, close gaps in: We ought to tighten security at the warehouse. 4 Sometimes, tighten up. tauten, stiffen, tense, close: I felt the noose begin to tighten round my neck.

tight-lipped

adj. close-mouthed, silent, quiet, mum, mute, close-lipped, noncommittal, reticent, secretive, taciturn, unforthcoming, uncommunicative, reserved: He remained tight-lipped about his activities during the war.

and US also pantihose: It was much too hot to wear tights.

timber n. 1 trees, forest, woodland: The standing timber has been seriously depleted in Brazil. 2 wood, beams, boards, planks, US and Canadian lumber: The timber for our new house arrived today. 3 material, potential, stuff, character, quality,

talent, prospect: Agatha seems to be good management timber.

through a bad time when we last met. 2 period, interval, stretch, while, span, space, term, duration: It is a long time since I have seen you. In the time I took to write this, she had vanished. 3 hour; point, moment: What time is it? At what time is our appointment? 4 age, period, epoch, era, lifetime, heyday, day(s): The novel is set in the time of the Caesars. 5

opportunity, chance, occasion: You must make time to visit your mother. 6 experience: I had a wonderful time at your party. 7 tempo, beat, rhythm, metre, measure: They are playing 'Teddy Bears' Picnic' in march time. 8 ease, leisure; convenience:

He'll be there in his own time. 9 Often, times. life, things,