thousand
The number equivalent to ten hundreds. / A group or quantity of one thousand people or things.
number[C/U] Both
pl: thousands
This word functions as a bridge between precise counting and vague estimation. When used with a specific number, it is a rigid mathematical value. However, when used without a determiner, it often shifts into a hyperbolic expression of a very large, though not necessarily exact, amount.
In social contexts, it carries a psychological weight of abundance. Saying something happened a thousand times suggests exhaustion or obsession rather than a literal tally. It is less formal than ten hundred and more common in conversational English to denote scale.
Countable when referring to specific sets of 1,000 units (two thousand). Uncountable when used as a general mass noun to describe a huge, indefinite quantity (thousands of people).