as in bumping
to come into usually forceful contact with something
the snowball thudded against the side of my car
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of thudding
Footwork clatter and thudding 808s exude yearning emotion on the young producer-songwriter’s patchworked new track.
—
Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 13 Mar. 2026
Each must traverse more than a mile-and-a-half of terrain, through a canyon, into shadows and out, over rolls that hurl the body half a football field through the air before thudding it back down again.
—Barry Svrluga, Washington Post, 8 Feb. 2026
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
The early-career excitement Spielberg generated with Duel, The Sugarland Express, Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind came to a thudding halt with the frenetically busy, hopelessly bloated war comedy, 1941.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 20 Nov. 2025
Here’s where the treadmill picks up and our steps start thudding on the track.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
In 2016, when Bad Bunny first emerged, he was identified with a style known as Latin trap, a woozy and thudding hybrid that owes something to American hip-hop.
—Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2025
That naturalistic, lo-fi approach might play just fine were Maxine not saddled with a heavy, thudding cancer arc.
—Richard Lawson, IndieWire, 7 Sep. 2025
With daily departures from Chicago Union station, the superliner service rumbles through Illinois chasing mile after mile of golden-red corn fields before thudding over the Mississippi river into Iowa.
—Monisha Rajesh, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Oct. 2022
Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 13 Mar. 2026
Each must traverse more than a mile-and-a-half of terrain, through a canyon, into shadows and out, over rolls that hurl the body half a football field through the air before thudding it back down again.
—Barry Svrluga, Washington Post, 8 Feb. 2026
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
The early-career excitement Spielberg generated with Duel, The Sugarland Express, Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind came to a thudding halt with the frenetically busy, hopelessly bloated war comedy, 1941.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 20 Nov. 2025
Here’s where the treadmill picks up and our steps start thudding on the track.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
In 2016, when Bad Bunny first emerged, he was identified with a style known as Latin trap, a woozy and thudding hybrid that owes something to American hip-hop.
—Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2025
That naturalistic, lo-fi approach might play just fine were Maxine not saddled with a heavy, thudding cancer arc.
—Richard Lawson, IndieWire, 7 Sep. 2025
With daily departures from Chicago Union station, the superliner service rumbles through Illinois chasing mile after mile of golden-red corn fields before thudding over the Mississippi river into Iowa.
—Monisha Rajesh, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Oct. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thudding
Verb
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Then Buttered Popcorn dethroned it in 1998, bumping the cherry classic from its perch.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
1 Apr. 2026
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The coaching staff and team members all jumped around on the sideline in celebration, with players chest bumping Mullins, and coach Dan Hurley had an interaction with a referee that went viral and brought backlash.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The oil shortage has also affected public services and food transportation, prompting rare protests in some cities, with citizens banging pots and pans and lighting bonfires in the darkness.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
30 Mar. 2026
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Many of us at City Hall also have been banging our heads against the wall about it, but the situation is more grim than most Chicagoans realize.—
Bill Conway,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The wing struck the roof of a home before slamming into an exterior wall of a second home next door.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The pair have been in physical altercations in the past, including Manning's 2012 arrest for allegedly punching, scratching, kicking and choking Hartman – whom media outlets have referred to as Manning's former make-up artist and assistant – and slamming her head against the floor and wall.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Once stationary, turn off all lights except the hazard flashers, engage the emergency brake, and release the brake pedal to ensure your tail lights are not illuminated, reducing the risk of other drivers colliding with your stationary vehicle.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Dash cam video showed the bus initially colliding with the dump truck.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Maces, which were little more than rocks mounted on sticks, had questionable value as hunting tools, but they were superbly suited for smashing the bones and skulls of other humans.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
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Charging forward, Tuanzebe met the ball as its arc fell just in front of the goal, smashing it for a 1-0 lead.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In this image taken from video provided by the Aker Qrill Company shows an activist ship, operated by the Captain Paul Watson Foundation, crashing into the Antarctic Sea, a vessel operated by Aker Qrill Company, on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Antarctica.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
1 Apr. 2026
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Tiger Woods failed field sobriety tests after crashing into another vehicle last week, and had bloodshot eyes and two hydrocodone pills in his pants pocket, according to a probable cause arrest affidavit released Tuesday.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Those of us not actually knocking hung back in the stairwell; even so, some residents were hesitant to engage.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
2 Apr. 2026
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In the fall, residents learn about the process through public service announcements, local media, door-knocking outreach or word of mouth.—
Celina Su,
The Conversation,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Watson founded the global Sea Shepherd conservation movement in the 1970s and for decades won a fearsome reputation for ramming vessels and other aggressive tactics in confrontations on the high seas that repeatedly landed him in jail.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
1 Apr. 2026
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During the attack, the suspect ultimately exchanged gunfire with synagogue security and ignited the explosives inside his vehicle after ramming into the temple doors at a high speed.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Thudding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thudding. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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