Thin Line θɪn Extra Examples Normal Make Things

• cut the vegetables into thin strips.
• a number of thin cracks appeared in the wall.
• the body was hidden beneath a thin layer of soil.
• palm trees cast long, thin shadows on the lawn.

thin

1. having a smaller distance between opposite sides or surfaces than other similar objects or than normal
• SEE ALSO paper-thin
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/paper-thin
• Cut the vegetables into thin strips.
• A number of thin cracks appeared in the wall.
• The body was hidden beneath a thin layer of soil.
• Palm trees cast long, thin shadows on the lawn.
• He knew that the ice was too thin to risk crossing the river.
• a thin blouse (= of light cloth)

Extra Examples

• a plate of wafer-thin bread and butter
• a sliver of rock thin enough to be translucent
• She pinched her thin lips together.
• The wind blew cold through his thin shirt.
• Water forms a thin film between the tyre and the road.
2. not covered with much fat or muscle
• NOTE AT fat
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/fat_1#fat_topg_2
• He was tall and thin, with dark hair.
• She was looking pale and thin.
• How do you stay so thin?
• He is as thin as a rake (= very thin).
• thin legs

Extra Examples

• How do you manage to stay so thin?
• The old horse was painfully thin.
3. not growing closely together or in large amounts
• thin grey hair
4. containing more liquid than is normal or expected
• SYNONYM runny
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/runny
• The sauce was thin and tasteless.
• The paint looks a bit thin.
5. fairly easy to see through
• They fought their way through where the smoke was thinner.
6. containing less oxygen than normal
• Humans would not be able to survive in the thin atmosphere of the planet.
7. high and weak
• Her thin voice trailed off into silence.
8. not sincere or enthusiastic
• He gave a thin smile.
9. not very bright
• the thin grey light of dawn
10. of poor quality; without an important quality
• a thin excuse (= one that people are not likely to believe)
• Their arguments all sound a little thin to me.
• The general standard of applicants is pretty thin this year.

Extra Examples

• His knowledge of the country was somewhat thin.
• The evidence seems awfully thin.
11. to be taking a risk
12. to disappear suddenly in a mysterious way
• She can’t just have vanished into thin air.
• At a stroke she could make things vanish into thin air.
13. to have many problems or difficulties to deal with; to not be successful
• He’s had a thin time of it since losing his job.
14. from nowhere or nothing, as if by magic
• Unfortunately, I can’t just conjure up the money out of thin air!
15. to try to do so many different things at the same time that you do not do any of them well
• With four markets to manage, there's a danger that's she's spreading herself too thin.
16. if people or things are thick/thin on the ground, there are a lot/not many of them in a place
• Customers are thin on the ground at this time of year.
• Security officers were thick on the ground during the King’s visit.
17. an event or action that is the beginning of something more serious and/or unpleasant
• The introduction of a tax on workplace parking is seen by many as the thin end of the wedge.
18. with little or no hair on the head
• He's starting to get a little thin on top (= he's losing his hair).
• He's going bald on top.
19. the lack of ability to accept criticism, offensive remarks, etc. without becoming upset
• OPPOSITE a thick skin
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/skin_1#thick_idmg_15
• You shouldn’t be in politics if you have such a thin skin.
20. even when there are problems or difficulties
• He's supported the team for over ten years through thick and thin.
• In marriage, you have to stick together through thick and thin.
21. to be in a difficult or dangerous situation where you could easily make a mistake
• He was walking a fine line between being funny and being rude.
• She often seems to tread a thin line between success and failure.

Extra Examples

• His comedy treads the line between shocking and sickening.
• We have to walk a fine line to make sure we don't promote one brand more than another.
• His buildings walk the thin line between visionary and completely mad.
22. to begin to become weaker or less acceptable
• These excuses are wearing a little thin (= because we've heard them so many times before).
• My patience is beginning to wear very thin.

Word Origin

• Old English thynne, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch dun and German dünn, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin tenuis.