Thin
/θɪn/
adjectiveverbA2
Definition
As an adjective, thin describes something that is not wide or fat; it has a small distance between its sides or surfaces. It can also describe a person or animal who has little body fat. As a verb, thin means to make something less thick, less crowded, or less strong by removing parts or spreading out.
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See It in Action
Adjective: Not wide or fat; having little thickness
- •She has thin hair that falls softly on her shoulders.
- •The ice on the lake is thin and might break if you walk on it.
- •I prefer thin slices of pizza because they are crispier.
Adjective: Having little body fat; slim or skinny
- •He looks thin after being sick for a week.
- •The thin cat needs to eat more food.
- •She is thin but strong because she exercises a lot.
Verb: To make less thick or less crowded
- •You should thin the paint with water before using it.
- •The gardener thinned the plants so they have more space to grow.
- •I thinned the soup by adding more water.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "thin" like "small" but for width or thickness—it means something is not big from side to side
- ✓Picture a thin slice of bread compared to a thick slice—thin is the smaller, flatter one
- ✓It's the feeling when you see a very skinny pencil or a narrow path where you can barely walk
- ✓Sounds like "thin" → imagine a thin thread that is very fine and easy to break
- ✓Remember a thin book with few pages, not heavy or big
- ✓NOT like "thick" (which means wide or heavy), thin is the opposite—small in width or depth
- ✓NOT like "small" (which means little in size overall), thin focuses on one dimension: thickness or width
- ✓As a verb, NOT like "break" (destroy), "thin" means to reduce or make less dense gently
Try Other Words
- •Slim: thin in a healthy or attractive way (Use when talking about people’s bodies in a positive way)
- •Narrow: small width, usually for objects or spaces (Use when focusing on width, like a narrow road)
- •Fine: very thin and delicate (Use when something is thin and light, like a fine thread)
- •Reduce: to make less in amount or size (Use as a verb when thinning means making less crowded or less thick)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: Root word "thin" (no prefix or suffix)
- •Etymology: Old English "thin," meaning not thick or slender
- •Historical development: Used since Old English times to describe small thickness or slenderness in objects and people
- •Modern usage: Used as both adjective and verb to describe size or the act of making something less thick or crowded
- •Key insight: Simple word that focuses on small thickness or making things less dense or crowded
Reflect & Connect
•How does being thin affect how people or objects are seen or treated in different cultures?
•Can something be too thin? What problems might happen if something is very thin?
Fill in the blanks
1.The ice was thin ___ it could break if you stepped on it.
2.She looks thin ___ she hasn’t eaten well for days.
3.To make the paint easier to spread, you need to thin it ___ adding water.
4.The gardener thinned the plants ___ they had too little space.
5.Thin hair often feels ___ and can break easily.
6.A thin book usually has ___ pages than a thick one.
7.When something is thin, it is NOT ___ or heavy.