6 ADJ Thin clothes are made from light cloth and are not warm to wear. □ Her gown was thin, and she shivered, partly from cold. ● thin|ly ADV [ADV adj/-ed] □ Mrs Brown wrapped the thinly clad man in her coat.
7 ADJ If you describe an argument or explanation as thin , you mean that it is weak and difficult to believe. □ However, the evidence is thin and, to some extent, ambiguous. ● thin|ly ADV [usu ADV -ed, oft ADV before v] □ Much of the speech was a thinly disguised attack on the management of the company.
8 ADJ If someone's hair is described as thin , they do not have a lot of hair. □ She had pale thin yellow hair she pulled back into a bun.
9 VERB When you thin something or when it thins , it becomes less crowded because people or things have been removed from it. □ [V n] Reduce the wind resistance by thinning the tree's canopy. □ [V ] By midnight the crowd had thinned. ● PHRASAL VERB Thin out means the same as thin . □ [V P n] NATO will continue to thin out its forces. □ [V P ] When the crowd began to thin out, I realized that most of the food was still there. [Also V n P ]
10 VERB To thin a sauce or liquid means to make it weaker and more watery by adding another liquid to it. □ [V n] It may be necessary to thin the sauce slightly. ● PHRASAL VERB Thin down means the same as thin . □ [V P n] Thin down your mayonnaise with soured cream or natural yoghurt.
11 VERB If a man's hair is thinning , it has begun to fall out. □ [V ] His hair is thinning and his skin has lost all hint of youth.
12 PHRASE If someone's patience, for example, is wearing thin , they are beginning to become impatient or angry with someone. □ Parliament has not tackled the economic crisis, and public patience is wearing thin.
13 on thin ice → see ice
14 thin air → see air
▸ thin down → see thin 12
▸ thin out → see thin 11
thine /ða I n/ PRON Thine is an old-fashioned, poetic, or religious word for 'yours' when you are talking to only one person. □ I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice.
thing ◆◆◆ /θ I ŋ/ (things )
1 N‑COUNT You can use thing to refer to any object, feature, or event when you cannot, need not, or do not want to refer to it more precisely. □ 'What's that thing in the middle of the fountain?'—'Some kind of statue, I guess.' □ She was in the middle of clearing the breakfast things. □ If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? □ A strange thing happened.
2 N‑COUNT [usu pl] Thing is used in lists and descriptions to give examples or to increase the range of what you are referring to. □ These are genetic disorders. They are things like muscular dystrophy and haemophilia. □ The Earth is made mainly of iron and silicon and things like that.
3 N‑COUNT [adj N ] Thing is often used after an adjective, where it would also be possible just to use the adjective. For example, you can say it's a different thing instead of it's different . □ To be a parent is a terribly difficult thing.
4 N‑SING Thing is often used instead of the pronouns 'anything,' or 'everything' in order to emphasize what you are saying. [EMPHASIS ] □ It isn't going to solve a single thing. □ Don't you worry about a thing.
5 N‑COUNT Thing is used in expressions such as such a thing or things like that , especially in negative statements, in order to emphasize the bad or difficult situation you are referring back to. [EMPHASIS ] □ I don't believe he would tell Leo such a thing.
6 N‑COUNT [usu n N ] You can use thing to refer in a vague way to a situation, activity, or idea, especially when you want to suggest that it is not very important. [INFORMAL , VAGUENESS ] □ I'm a bit unsettled tonight. This war thing's upsetting me.
7 N‑COUNT [oft adj N ] You often use thing to indicate to the person you are addressing that you are about to mention something important, or something that you particularly want them to know. □ One thing I am sure of was that she was scared. □ The funny thing is that the rest of us have known that for years.
8 N‑COUNT Thing is often used to refer back to something that has just been mentioned, either to emphasize it or to give more information about it. □ I never wanted to be normal. It was not a thing I ever thought desirable.
9 N‑COUNT A thing is a physical object that is considered as having no life of its own. □ It's not a thing, Beauchamp. It's a human being!
10 N‑COUNT Thing is used to refer to something, especially a physical object, when you want to express contempt or anger towards it. [SPOKEN , DISAPPROVAL ] □ Turn that thing off!
11 N‑COUNT [adj N ] You can call a person or an animal a particular thing when you want to mention a particular quality that they have and express your feelings towards them, usually affectionate feelings. [INFORMAL ] □ You really are quite a clever little thing.
12 N‑PLURAL Your things are your clothes or possessions. □ Sara told him to take all his things and not to return.
13 N‑PLURAL Things can refer to the situation or life in general and the way it is changing or affecting you. □ Everyone agrees things are getting better.
14 N‑SING [oft N to-inf] If you say that something is the thing , you mean that it is fashionable or popular. □ I feel under pressure to go out and get drunk because it's the thing to do.
15 PHRASE If, for example, you do the right thing or do the decent thing in a situation, you do something which is considered correct or socially acceptable in that situation. □ People want to do the right thing and buy 'green'. □ Carrington did the honourable thing and resigned.