thumbnail

Everyday

1. A thumbnail is the nail on your thumb. tree →
2. A thumbnail is a small picture on a screen that stands for a bigger picture or video; you click it to see the full one. tree →
3. A thumbnail sketch or description is very short and gives only the main points. tree →

In the lessons

Computers and online safety: video sites show thumbnails, and some are made to look exciting to trick you into clicking («clickbait»). Art: artists do thumbnail sketches to plan a picture. Writing: «a thumbnail biography» gives just the key facts.

Examples

• I broke my thumbnail on the door. tree →
• Click the thumbnail to see the full photo. tree →
• The video's thumbnail looked exciting, but it was clickbait. tree →
• The artist drew quick thumbnail sketches first. tree →
• Give a thumbnail description of the main character. tree →
• The thumbnails are too small to see clearly. tree →

Note

Countable, one word. The b in «thumb» is silent: said «THUM-nail». Thumbnails can be misleading — the real video may be different.