thread
[noun]
Synonyms:
- strand, fibre, filament, line, string, yarn
- theme, direction, drift, plot, story line, train of thought
[verb]
Synonyms:
- pass, ease, pick (one's way), squeeze through

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. thread¹ /θred/ noun
[Language: Old English; Origin: thræd]

1. FOR SEWING [uncountable and countable] a long thin string of cotton, silk etc used to sew or weave cloth:
I’m looking for a needle and thread.
hand-sewn with gold and silver thread
a spool of thread (=small object that thread is wound around)

2. IDEAS [singular] an idea, feeling, or feature that connects the different parts of an explanation, story etc:
a common thread running within his work
His mind wandered, and he lost the thread of what she was saying (=was no longer able to understand it).
a thread running through the film
thread of
a thread of spirituality in her work

3. pick up the thread(s) to begin something again after a long period, especially a relationship or way of life:
They had known each other as children, and were picking up the threads of their friendship.

4. INTERNET [countable] a series of messages concerning the same subject, written by members of an Internet discussion group:
I’d like to refer to something that was posted in an earlier thread.

5. LINE [countable] literary a long thin line of something, such as light, smoke etc
thread of
The Colorado River was just a thread of silver, 4000 feet below.

6.
ON A SCREW [countable] a continuous raised line of metal that winds around the curved surface of a screw

7. threads [plural] American English old-fashioned clothes
⇒ hang by a thread at hang¹(9)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. thread² verb [transitive usually + adverb/preposition]

1. to put a thread, string, rope etc through a hole:
Will you thread the needle for me?
thread something through something
Tom threaded the rope through the safety harness.

2. to put a film, tape etc correctly through parts of a camera, projector, or tape recorder

3. to connect two or more objects by pushing something such as string through a hole in them:
Sue threaded the glass beads onto a piece of heavy string.

4. thread your way through/into something etc to move through a place by carefully going around things that are blocking your way:
She came towards me, threading her way through the crowd.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

thread
noun
I. piece of cotton, etc.
ADJ. strong | delicate, fine, fragile, thin | loose | matching | cotton, silk, etc. | embroidery, sewing | warp, weft
QUANT. length, piece
VERB + THREAD spin | catch, pull You've pulled a thread in your jumper.
PHRASES hanging by a thread (often figurative) The player's career is hanging by a thread after this latest injury to his knee.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

thread
II. connection between ideas, parts of a story, etc.
ADJ. central, main | common, connecting | consistent, continuous | narrative | loose Apart from one or two loose threads, the police now had the complete picture of what happened.
VERB + THREAD follow, trace I found it hard to follow the main thread of his argument.
lose The speaker lost his thread halfway through the talk.
keep She struggled against all the interruptions to keep the thread of her argument.
draw together, pick up, pull together, weave The author eventually picks up the various threads of the plot and weaves them into a masterly conclusion.
THREAD + VERB run through sth A continuous thread runs through all the versions of the legend.
emerge On studying the different historians' accounts, common threads emerge.
unravel As the film progresses, the threads of the plot slowly begin to unravel.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

thread
θred
See: hang by a thread

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲