Standard Lemma guide

thumbtack

noun · verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈθʌm.tæk/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A small nail-like tack with a slightly rounded head that can be pressed into place with light pressure from the thumb; used for hanging light articles on a wall or noticeboard.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Canada, US

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: drawing pin

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To fix or attach something with a thumbtack.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a tack for attaching papers to a bulletin board or drawing board

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: drawing pin, pushpin

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: paper fastener, tack

4

verb

Meaning 4

fasten with thumbtacks

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The teacher thumbtacked the notice on the bulletin board

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: tack

History

Etymology

From thumb + tack.

Across languages

Translations

78 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: دَبُّوس (dabbūs) — nail-like tack
  • Azerbaijani: dəftərxana düyməsi — nail-like tack
  • Azerbaijani: düymə — nail-like tack
  • Belarusian: канцыля́рская кно́пка (kancyljárskaja knópka) — nail-like tack
  • Belarusian: кно́пка (knópka) — nail-like tack
  • Breton: tach-meud — nail-like tack
  • Bulgarian: га́бърче (gábǎrče) — nail-like tack
  • Bulgarian: ка́барче (kábarče) — nail-like tack
  • Bulgarian: кабар (kabar) — nail-like tack
  • Bulgarian: кабър (kabǎr) — nail-like tack
  • Catalan: xinxeta — nail-like tack
  • Chinese Mandarin: 圖釘 /图钉 (túdīng) — nail-like tack
  • Czech: připínáček — nail-like tack
  • Czech: napínáček — nail-like tack
  • Danish: tegnestift — nail-like tack
  • Dutch: duimspijker — nail-like tack
  • Dutch: punaise — nail-like tack
  • Esperanto: desegnonajlo — nail-like tack
  • Esperanto: prempinglo — nail-like tack
  • Estonian: rõhknael — nail-like tack
  • Faroese: teknistift — nail-like tack
  • Finnish: nasta — nail-like tack
  • French: punaise — nail-like tack
  • Galician: chatola — nail-like tack
  • Galician: chincheta — nail-like tack
  • Georgian: ჭიკარტი (č̣iḳarṭi) — nail-like tack
  • German: Reißzwecke — nail-like tack
  • German: Reißnagel — nail-like tack
  • German: Heftzwecke — nail-like tack
  • German: Reißbrettstift — nail-like tack
  • Greek: πινέζα (pinéza) — nail-like tack
  • Hungarian: rajzszög — nail-like tack
  • Indonesian: paku payung — nail-like tack
  • Irish: tacóid ordóige — nail-like tack
  • Italian: puntina — nail-like tack
  • Japanese: 画鋲 (gabyō) — nail-like tack
  • Korean: 압정 (apjeong) — nail-like tack
  • Macedonian: притискач (pritiskač) — nail-like tack
  • Malay: paku jari — nail-like tack
  • Norwegian Bokmål: tegnestift — nail-like tack
  • Persian: پونِز (punez) — nail-like tack
  • Polish: pinezka — nail-like tack
  • Portuguese: tacha — nail-like tack
  • Romanian: piuneză — nail-like tack
  • Russian: канцеля́рская кно́пка (kanceljárskaja knópka) — nail-like tack
  • Russian: кно́пка (knópka) — nail-like tack
  • Serbo-Croatian: рајснадла — nail-like tack
  • Serbo-Croatian: rajsnadla — nail-like tack
  • Silesian: cwek — nail-like tack
  • Slovak: pripináčik — nail-like tack
  • Slovene: risalni žebljiček — nail-like tack
  • Lower Sorbian: gózdźik — nail-like tack
  • Spanish: chinche — nail-like tack
  • Spanish: chincheta — nail-like tack
  • Spanish: tachuela — nail-like tack
  • Swedish: häftstift — nail-like tack
  • Thai: หมุดหัวแบน — nail-like tack
  • Turkish: raptiye — nail-like tack
  • Turkish: pünez — nail-like tack
  • Ukrainian: канцеля́рська кно́пка (kanceljársʹka knópka) — nail-like tack
  • Ukrainian: кно́пка (knópka) — nail-like tack
  • Bulgarian: закачам (zakačam) — to attach something with a thumbtack
  • Bulgarian: закача (zakača) — to attach something with a thumbtack
  • Bulgarian: закрепям (zakrepjam) — to attach something with a thumbtack
  • Bulgarian: закрепя (zakrepja) — to attach something with a thumbtack
  • Chinese Mandarin: 用圖釘釘住 /用图钉钉住 (yòng túdīng dìngzhù) — to attach something with a thumbtack
  • Esperanto: alpingli — to attach something with a thumbtack
  • Finnish: kiinnittää nastalla — to attach something with a thumbtack
  • Finnish: nastata — to attach something with a thumbtack
  • French: punaiser — to attach something with a thumbtack
  • German: anpinnen — to attach something with a thumbtack
  • German: anheften — to attach something with a thumbtack
  • German: anzwecken — to attach something with a thumbtack
  • German: zwecken — to attach something with a thumbtack
  • Portuguese: tachar — to attach something with a thumbtack
  • Russian: прика́лывать (prikályvatʹ) — to attach something with a thumbtack
  • Russian: приколо́ть (prikolótʹ) — to attach something with a thumbtack
  • Spanish: tachonar — to attach something with a thumbtack