I. thick 1 S2 W2 /θɪk/ BrE AmE adjective ( comparative thicker , superlative thickest )
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ thick , ↑ thickness , ↑ thickener , thickening, ↑ thicko ; verb : ↑ thicken ; adverb : ↑ thickly ; adjective : ↑ thick ]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: thicce ]
1 . NOT THIN
if something is thick, there is a large distance or a larger distance than usual between its two opposite surfaces or sides OPP thin :
a thick oak door
a thick slice of homemade bread
He was wearing thick glasses.
short thick fingers
thick wool socks (=socks that are heavy and warm)
If you want a thicker blanket, there are more here in the closet.
The meat is done when the thickest part turns from pink to white.
thick with
The furniture was thick with dust (=there was thick dust on the furniture) .
2 . MEASUREMENT measuring a particular distance between two opposite sides or surfaces of something
3 feet/1 cm/two inches etc thick
The walls are about two meters thick.
How thick should the glass in the tank be?
This layer of brain tissue is no thicker than 2 mm.
3 . TREES/BUSHES ETC growing very close together or having a lot of leaves SYN dense :
birds hiding in the thick undergrowth
thick with
The walls were thick with ivy.
4 . SMOKE/CLOUD ETC filling the air, and difficult to see through or breathe in SYN dense :
thick fog
thick with
The air was thick with cigarette smoke.
5 . LIQUID almost solid, and therefore flowing very slowly, or not flowing at all:
For a thicker gravy, add more flour.
The paint is too thick.
6 . HAIR/FUR having a lot of hair or fur:
She ran her fingers through her thick brown hair.
7 . STUPID British English informal a thick person is stupid:
He’s a nice guy, but he’s a bit thick.
(as) thick as two short planks (=very stupid)
8 . VOICE
a) if someone has a thick ↑ accent , the way they speak shows clearly which particular place or part of a country they come from
a thick German/Yorkshire etc accent
Olga speaks English with a thick Russian accent.
b) if someone’s voice is thick, it is not as clear or high as usual, for example because they are upset:
Bill’s voice was thick and gruff.
thick with
Her voice was thick with emotion.
9 . LARGE AMOUNT especially written containing a lot of people or things:
The cod were so thick in the water that they caught thousands very quickly.
thick with
The roads were thick with holiday traffic.
10 . be thick on the ground British English to be present or available in large amounts or numbers OPP thin on the ground :
Cheap houses aren’t as thick on the ground as they used to be.
11 . have a thick skin to not care if people criticize you or do not like you ⇨ ↑ thick-skinned
12 . FRIENDLY be (as) thick as thieves if two people are as thick as thieves, they are very friendly with each other and seem to share a lot of secrets, making other people think they are hiding or planning something:
Lately Nick and Lou have been as thick as thieves.
13 . give somebody a thick ear/get a thick ear British English spoken to hit someone or be hit on the head, as a punishment:
Any more cheek from you and you’ll get a thick ear.
14 . be thick with somebody old-fashioned to be very friendly with someone
15 . (it’s) a bit thick British English old-fashioned used to say something is a little unfair or annoying
II. thick 2 BrE AmE adverb
1 . thickly. Many teachers think this is not correct English:
peanut butter spread thick
2 . thick and fast arriving or happening very frequently, in large amounts or numbers:
Entries have been coming in thick and fast.
⇨ lay it on (a bit thick) at LAY ON (3)
III. thick 3 BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ thick , ↑ thickness , ↑ thickener , thickening, ↑ thicko ; verb : ↑ thicken ; adverb : ↑ thickly ; adjective : ↑ thick ]
1 . in the thick of something involved in the busiest, most active, most dangerous etc part of a situation:
Brown hopes to be back in the thick of the action as soon as possible.
2 . through thick and thin in spite of any difficulties or problems:
Then, families stuck together through thick and thin.