thumbscrew
noun
thumb·screw
| \ ˈthəm-ˌskrü
\
\
Definition of thumbscrew
1
: an instrument of torture for compressing the thumb by a screw
2
: a screw having a flat-sided or knurled head so that it may be turned by the thumb and index finger
Illustration of thumbscrew
thumbscrew 2
Examples of thumbscrew in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Lock the cable in place by tightening the retaining thumbscrew. — Joseph Truini, Popular Mechanics, "How to Unclog a Drain," 26 Jan. 2019 The Cleveland Play House production is an exercise in increasing tension, like thumbscrews slowly tightening. — Andrea Simakis, cleveland.com, "Ayad Akhtar's hostage drama 'The Invisible Hand' at Cleveland Play House: There will be blood, on all sides (review)," 28 Feb. 2018 Nervous scientists twisted thumbscrews and made final adjustments of their costly instruments along the coast, from Point Loma to Ensenada. — Magner White, sandiegouniontribune.com, "From the archives: When it was midnight at midday!," 17 Aug. 2017 Qualcomm CEO not optimistic about Nokia talks [Reuters] CEO Paul Jacobs turns the thumbscrews on Nokia, which would probably very much like to renew its licensing agreements with chipmaker and patent house Qualcomm. — Rob Beschizza, WIRED, "Tuesday News and CTIA Roundup," 27 Mar. 2007These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'thumbscrew.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for thumbscrew
thumbscrew
noun
English Language Learners Definition of thumbscrew
: a device used in the past to torture people by crushing their thumbs
: a type of screw with a flat-sided head that can be held and turned with your thumb and fingers
See the full definition for thumbscrew in the English Language Learners Dictionary