ENGLISH
REFERENCE

thousands

n. C / U
A2 Elementary US //ˈθaʊzəndz// UK //θˈaʊzəndz// thou·sands

n. a very large number of people or things, usually between two thousand and many more. You use this word when you want to say there are a lot of something without giving an exact count.

n. a large but unspecified number of people or things, typically in the range of several thousand. Used in the plural form to indicate significant quantity or scale.


SIMPLE

Thousands of people visit the museum every day.

CONTEXTUAL

Thousands of fans gathered outside the stadium hours before the concert began to secure a good spot.

COMPLEX

The archaeological site yielded thousands of pottery shards, providing researchers with a comprehensive timeline of the ancient settlement's domestic life and trade connections.

Synonyms
Usage

When used as a plural noun to show a large amount, it is followed by the preposition 'of'.

Pitfall

three thousands peoplethree thousand peopleWhen used with a specific number, 'thousand' remains singular; the plural 'thousands' is only for unspecified large amounts.

Idioms1 entry

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