thread

noun

• 1a long, thin strand of cotton, nylon, or other fibres used in sewing or weaving: he had a loose thread on his shirt figurativethe thread that bound them had snapped
• [mass noun] cotton, nylon, or other fibres spun into long, thin strands and used for sewing: she put her needle and thread away
• literary a long, thin line or piece of something:the Thames was a thread of silver below them

• 2a theme or characteristic running throughout a situation or piece of writing:a major thread running through the book is the primacy of form over substance
• a group of linked messages posted on an Internet forum that share a common subject or theme.
• Computing a programming structure or process formed by linking a number of separate elements or subroutines, especially each of the tasks executed concurrently in multithreading.

• 3 (also screw thread) a helical ridge on the outside of a screw, bolt, etc. or on the inside of a cylindrical hole, to allow two parts to be screwed together.

• 4 (threads) informal, chiefly North American clothes: his fine threads and fashionable specs

verb

• 1pass a thread through the eye of (a needle) or through the needle and guides of (a sewing machine): I can’t even thread a needle she threaded up the machine with the right cotton
• [with object and adverbial of direction] pass (a long, thin object or piece of material) through something and into the required position for use:he threaded the rope through a pulley
• [no object, with adverbial of direction] move carefully or skilfully in and out of obstacles:she threaded her way through the tables
• interweave or intersperse as if with threads:his hair had become ill-kempt and threaded with grey
• put (beads or other small objects) on a thread, chain, etc.:Constance sat threading beads

• 2 (usually as adjective threaded) cut a screw thread in or on (a hole, screw, or other object): two threaded holes for machine screws the outer jaw is bored and threaded for set screws