thimble
noun
thim·ble ˈthim-bəl 
1
: a pitted cap or cover worn on the finger to push the needle in sewing
2
a
: a grooved ring of thin metal used to fit in a spliced loop in a rope as protection from chafing
b
: a lining (as of metal) for an opening (as in a roof or wall) through which a stovepipe or chimney passes
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Home gardens may see nesting mourning dove, a covey of baby quail, or the miracle of tiny hummingbird chicks hatching from miniature eggs in a nest not much bigger than a large thimble. 
Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Aug. 2022 Over a week of daily charges — the Prime’s battery can be replenished in about two and a half hours on a home charger — the car can cover more than 280 miles without using a thimble of gasoline, at the equivalent of 94 m.p.g. New York Times, 5 Aug. 2022 The Saudi’s basically just said OK, Joe, here’s your thimble of oil, now run along. Allison Morrow, CNN, 3 Aug. 2022 Black holes are the most massive gravitational engines in the universe, yet what most of us probably know about them could fit into a thimble. Karen Campbell, BostonGlobe.com, 21 June 2022 The humblest object in the exhibition, a golden thimble, carries the most history. Peter Saenger, WSJ, 28 Jan. 2022 In the Ch4rm lookbook, male models sport square-toe dress shoes—a Russian staple—and women don denim skirts the size of a thimble. Liana Satenstein, Vogue, 22 Nov. 2021 There’s one possible state where the molecules are crowded into the thimble. Quanta Magazine, 22 Apr. 2021 Line cooks use a thimble for near constant taste tests. Larissa Zimberoff, Wired, 17 Dec. 2020 See More
Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Aug. 2022 Over a week of daily charges — the Prime’s battery can be replenished in about two and a half hours on a home charger — the car can cover more than 280 miles without using a thimble of gasoline, at the equivalent of 94 m.p.g. New York Times, 5 Aug. 2022 The Saudi’s basically just said OK, Joe, here’s your thimble of oil, now run along. Allison Morrow, CNN, 3 Aug. 2022 Black holes are the most massive gravitational engines in the universe, yet what most of us probably know about them could fit into a thimble. Karen Campbell, BostonGlobe.com, 21 June 2022 The humblest object in the exhibition, a golden thimble, carries the most history. Peter Saenger, WSJ, 28 Jan. 2022 In the Ch4rm lookbook, male models sport square-toe dress shoes—a Russian staple—and women don denim skirts the size of a thimble. Liana Satenstein, Vogue, 22 Nov. 2021 There’s one possible state where the molecules are crowded into the thimble. Quanta Magazine, 22 Apr. 2021 Line cooks use a thimble for near constant taste tests. Larissa Zimberoff, Wired, 17 Dec. 2020 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English thymel, thymbyl, from Old English thȳmel covering for the thumb, from thūma thumb
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
thimble
noun
thim·ble ˈthim-bəl
: a cap or cover used in sewing to protect the finger that pushes the needle