What does ‘give the thumbs up’ mean?
To “give the thumbs up” means to approve or endorse. Brewer's discusses the Roman arena gesture (with its actual meaning long debated by scholars); the modern positive sense is a 20th-century convention.
Origin
- Brewer's discusses the Roman arena gesture (with its actual meaning long debated by scholars); the modern positive sense is a 20th-century convention.
How to use it
- Everyday sign of approval, spoken or gestured.
- Example: The manager gave the design the thumbs up.
Source:
Last verified: 2026-07-18
- Definitions and origins are drawn from public-domain reference works, primarily Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898), with modern usage notes clearly marked.