I. ˈthik adjective
( -er/-est )
Etymology: Middle English thikke, from Old English thicce; akin to Old High German dicki thick, Old Norse thykkr, Old Irish tiug
1.
a. : having or being of relatively great depth or extent from one surface to its opposite
a thick plank
a thick neck
a thick book
b. : heavily built : burly , thickset
that thick man … is as fine as a needle — Joseph Conrad
a slow, closemouthed man, thick in the shoulders and muscled like a bull — H.G.Evarts
2.
a. : close-packed with units or individuals : densely massed or tightly filled : crammed, crowded
the air was thick with snow
a thick forest
libel suits were thick in the air — Dorothy C. Fisher
b. : occurring in large numbers in a limited area or in close succession : numerous , frequent
in that canyon the fossils were particularly thick — D.B.Putnam
c. : holding much solid matter in suspension or solution : dense or viscous in consistency
a thick syrup
d. : foul or heavy with fumes : heavy with dust or other foreign matter : close 6, impure , stuffy — used of the air
e. : dense with particles : having drops or specks close together
thick fog
thick smoke
f. : marked by haze, fog, or mist enough to obstruct or reduce vision
thick weather
a thick day
g. : impenetrable to the eye : gross , profound — used of night or darkness
h. : showing massive concentration : unrelieved
serves in place of a slower and thicker naturalism — New York Times
one of the thickest concentrations of heavy industry in the world — Sam Pollock
i. : extreme in intensity : sheer , utter
thick silence
3. : measuring in thickness
a log 12 inches thick
a coin 1 mm. thick
4.
a. : marked by huskiness or hoarseness : imperfectly articulated : indistinct , muffled , guttural , rough
plays his part with a thick accent — Henry Hewes
b. : marked by rich and close harmony especially in the lower register — used of a musical score
5.
a. : dull of hearing or sight
b. : dull or slow of mind or apprehension : not acute or keen : obtuse , stupid
you're obtuse, that's all; just plain thick — Jean Kerr
6. obsolete : lined up one behind another : deep
a guard of spies ten thick — Ben Jonson
7. : associated on close or familiar terms : intimate
the two were thick as thieves for months
8. : exceeding bounds of propriety or fitness : past toleration or endurance : excessive , extravagant , extreme , gross
called it a bit thick to be fired out of hand in that way
laid his flattery on thick
Synonyms: see close , familiar , stocky
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English thikke, from thikke, adjective
1. : the most crowded or most fully occupied part : the densest concentration
we came around a turn into the thick of a mob of yelling people — Mollie Panter-Downes
wide-reaching branches and a thick of leaves — Padraic Colum
2. : the most intense or most active part or stage
the thick of battle
major producers … are in the thick of this trend — Wall Street Journal
3.
a. : the part of greatest thickness
the thick of the thumb
b. : thicket
c. : a dense or stupid person
you must think I'm a right thick — Brendan Behan
III. adverb
( -er/-est )
Etymology: Middle English thicke, from Old English thicce; akin to Old High German dicco often; both from a prehistoric West Germanic adverb from the root of Old English thicce, adjective — more at thick I
: thickly
misfortunes came thick and fast
— often used in combination
thick -starred
thick -swarming
IV. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English thikken, from Old English thiccian, from thicce, adjective
archaic : to make, be, or become thick : thicken