WordGarden.iothickness
B2Pronunciation
UK
- /θˈɪknəs/
US
- /ˈθɪknəs/
Meanings
Noun
the measurement of how thick something is from one side to the other
the quality of being dense, closely packed, or hard to see through
the heavy consistency of a liquid or soft substance
Beyond the definition
Thickness describes how far something goes from one side or surface to the other. You might talk about the thickness of a book, a wall, a slice of bread, or a coat of paint. It is often used for solid things, but it also works for liquids and similar substances, such as the thickness of soup, cream, or mud.
Think about stacking pancakes: each one adds to the thickness of the stack. In daily life, the word can also suggest how heavy, rich, or hard to see through something is, as in the thickness of fog or smoke. A painter may build up layers of paint to create more thickness and texture on a canvas.
Thickness refers to the measure of something from one side or surface to the other. It is most often used for physical objects, such as the thickness of a wall, a sheet of glass, a book, a blanket, or a piece of wood. In these cases, it tells you how much space the object takes up through its body, not its length or height.
The word is also common for substances that are not fully solid. In the kitchen, you can talk about the thickness of soup, sauce, cream, or batter. Here, it means how dense or heavy the substance feels, and whether it flows easily. You may also see it used for things in the air, such as the thickness of fog, smoke, or dust, where it suggests density and how hard it is to see through.
In some cases, thickness can be used more loosely for strength or heaviness, as in the thickness of an accent, though this use is less central than the physical one. The main idea stays the same: something has more or less body, density, or space from one side to the other.
So whether you are measuring wood, checking the consistency of soup, or looking at how dense fog is, thickness points to how much body or distance there is through something.
Examples
- 1
Device size
I like this tablet, but its thickness makes it hard to fit in my bag.
- 2
Cooking
The recipe says to roll the dough to a thickness of about half a centimeter.
- Patternto a thickness of + measurement
until it is that thick
- 3
Product choice
The store sells yoga mats in different thicknesses, depending on how much support you want.
- 4
Building
The thickness of the walls helps keep the room quiet.
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Ice formation
By morning, the ice had reached a thickness of several inches.
See also
Forms and spellings
2 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- thicknessnoun
Forms
- thicknessespluralnoun