as in idiot
a stupid person
don't be such a clunk and just get on with it
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clunk
Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 1 Apr. 2025
The swing, a thick piece of lumber, clunks against the bull’s tines.
—Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 4 Oct. 2023
Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 12 June 2024
Clanking and clunking against a group as deep and polished as UConn was a recipe befitting a school lunchroom.
—Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for clunk
Noun
The vehicle wandered across the road far more than any already ill-handling Defender should, its brakes were weak, and gear shifts were accompanied by a prominent clunk.
—Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 1 Apr. 2025
The swing, a thick piece of lumber, clunks against the bull’s tines.
—Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 4 Oct. 2023
Verb
The guardian huffed and slammed the door shut, but a moment later, metal clunked, and the door was opened.
—Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 12 June 2024
Clanking and clunking against a group as deep and polished as UConn was a recipe befitting a school lunchroom.
—Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for clunk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clunk
Verb
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Its ghostly guitar melodies float as its basslines thud along, growing both more menacing and dejected as Katz’s depression becomes impossible to outrun.—
Grace Robins-Somerville,
Pitchfork,
23 Jan. 2026
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The latest version kicks off with a moody set piece before a gun shot and thudding drums make way for a beat that sounds like a drowning beeper.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
2 Dec. 2025
Noun
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The Dilbert principle — traced back to a quote in a 1995 strip — posited that managers and higher-ups are actually successful morons whose stubbornness is confused for real leadership qualities.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
13 Jan. 2026
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Overwhelmingly, though, the most common response was to seek confirmation of their suspicions that Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers were morons.—
Rosa Lyster,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Since each comic scheduled for the night was allocated 10 minutes, Montoya decided to bump a performer and split the four drop-ins into five minutes each — two early on, and the last two at the end of the night.—
Anthony Solorzano,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
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Some items now available at the fest, which began Jan 30, will go away at a predetermined (and published) date, replaced by other items that will, in turn, be bumped for a third option.—
Dewayne Bevil,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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There is nothing in the past year that suggests that the portion of this global event that will take place in the U.S. will proceed with anything less than exhausting chaos, a spoonful of stupid, and a dash of tragedy.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 Jan. 2026
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And then, the rest of her life, filled with big stupids and everything else, will begin.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
19 Nov. 2025
Verb
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As former agent and cap expert Joel Corry told me, the amount that Ross agrees to pay of Tagovailoa’s 2026 salary (for a new team) would not have much effect on his Dolphins’ dead money cap hit provided the trade is made after June 1.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
13 Feb. 2026
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Some of the students at Naperville North tried to mimic the coach’s actions, working on their technique, while other appeared to be more focused on hitting the ball to their friend as hard as possible.—
Carolyn Stein,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Harold Lloyd is the title rookie who gets to Tate University looking for football glory and maybe a girlfriend, too, and quickly becomes the resident tackling dummy in a template for sports and college comedies that followed.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
6 Feb. 2026
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With Liverpool pegged back from 2-0 up, there was huge pressure on the youngster when the ball fell to him inside the box after Dominik Szoboszlai’s dummy.—
David Ornstein,
New York Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The memo, which the AP reported is being used to train new officers amid an aggressive expansion of immigration arrests, has fueled confusion and fear about what rights actually apply when ICE comes knocking.—
Dante Motley,
Austin American Statesman,
10 Feb. 2026
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The former is a ring on the bottom of the rock that skids across the ice, and the latter is a band around the sides of the rock that collides with other rocks (ideally knocking an opponent’s rock off the bull’s-eye or nudging your team’s closer to it).—
Andrea Thompson,
Scientific American,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The cuddly canines and spirited mutts making up Team Fluff and Team Ruff will battle for the coveted Lombarky Trophy, while also playing up for the cameras in hopes of finding their forever home.—
Bebe Hodges,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
8 Feb. 2026
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The ordeal generated local headlines, as Berman had to navigate sheer rocks and treacherous terrain in the dark to save the mutt.—
Joe Berman,
Outside,
26 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clunk. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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