thumb down meaning (rare): definition, quotations

thumb down

noun

Rare Rare form of thumbs down.

Exploiting a member's indecision are lobbyists who station themselves outside the House and Senate chambers and signal members with a thumb up or a thumb down.1983 June 29, Martin Tolchin, “Time to Vote: The Sound and the Fury”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 24 May 2015:
The fact is that the reader is now just interested in a thumb up or thumb down from the critic. And that's no way to criticize theater.1996 June 2, Peter Marks, quoting Vincent Canby, “On Broadway and Off, a Seesaw Season”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 26 May 2015:

4 more examples

They tell the story, the meta-story, of what happened when they opened the book and began to read the story. It’s not as sexy as a thumb up or a thumb down, but then again we’re suffering from a surfeit of thumbs.2012 May 9, Lev Grossman, “Confessions of (Another) Book Reviewer”, in Time, New York, N.Y.: Time Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 03 Feb 2026:
The account shared pictures of the 44-year-old model wearing a $4,007 playsuit and asked whether it deserved a thumb up or a thumb down.2018 June 27, Carly Stern, “Having the last laugh? Stefano Gabbana trolls Instagram account that accused him of ripping off another designer by selling a $500 T-shirt that features his demand for an apology”, in Daily Mail, London: DMG Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 02 Feb 2026:
Overall, 59 percent give Trump a thumb down, while 40 percent approve of his job performance.2018 October 25, Max Jaeger, “Americans agree that America is divided”, in New York Post, New York, N.Y.: News Corp, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 26 Oct 2018:
Marjorie Taylor Greene gives a thumb down as US President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address2023 February 8, Andrew Feinberg, “Biden stares down Republican hecklers in feisty State of the Union tackling economy, police reform and China”, in The Independent, London: Independent News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 08 Feb 2023:

verb

To get (a passing vehicle) to stop and give one a ride, signalling to the driver by holding out one's thumb (as a hitchhiker).

I was stranded in the middle of nowhere, but luckily I managed to thumb down a passing car.
Bobby thumbed a diesel down, just before it rained / That rode us all the way in to New Orleans1969, Kris Kristofferson, Fred Foster, “Me and Bobby McGee”:

To disapprove or reject.