thousand

Universal Words number (plural verb) (abbreviation K) 1 1000 HELPNOTE You say a, one, two, etc. thousand without a final 's' on 'thousand'. Thousands (of...) can be used if there is no number or quantity before it. Always use a plural verb with thousand or thousands. 2 a thousand or thousands (of...) (usually informal) a large number: There were thousands of people there. 3 (the thousands) the numbers from 1000 to 9999: The cost ran into the thousands. HELPNOTE There are more examples of how to use numbers at the entry for hundred. IDIOMS see BATv.