as in thud
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
In frustration, she gave the jammed copier a thump with her fist.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in to slap
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
thumped the desk with his hand as he delivered his speech
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
playfully knocked his younger brother down and began to thump him with a foam bat
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of thump
Tyler Jett, Des Moines Register, 21 Jan. 2026
Twitchy enough to line up off the edge or run with a tight end in the slot, Fisher (6-1, 231) is a bit small but brings enough thump to be the type of linebacker who never has to leave the field.
—Nick Baumgardner, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Feb. 2026
Sierra Canyon thumped Chaminade 79-28 and Crespi defeated Loyola 65-61 at home.
—Tarek Fattal, Daily News, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for thump
Noun
In Guyana’s capital city of Georgetown, neighbors can still hear the thumps.
—Tyler Jett, Des Moines Register, 21 Jan. 2026
Twitchy enough to line up off the edge or run with a tight end in the slot, Fisher (6-1, 231) is a bit small but brings enough thump to be the type of linebacker who never has to leave the field.
—Nick Baumgardner, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Verb
Covenant Classical thumps Denton Calvary Covenant Classical improves to 8-0 in TAPPS District 1-3A play after a 77-40 win over Denton Calvary.
—Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Feb. 2026
Sierra Canyon thumped Chaminade 79-28 and Crespi defeated Loyola 65-61 at home.
—Tarek Fattal, Daily News, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for thump
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thump
Noun
-
Muffled thuds are heard, and the crying stops.—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Sidney Crosby was silent, Evgeni Malkin’s misplay led to a goal and Erik Karlsson was responsible for two other goals against as the Penguins saw their six-game winning streak end with a thud in a 3-2 setback against the Ottawa Senators on Monday at PPG Paints Arena.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Brookwood junior Collier Stanton extended his arm to the wall, glanced at the scoreboard and slapped the water as his older brother, Baylor, pumped his fist behind the block.—
Ansley Gavlak,
AJC.com,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Having already tied his career-high in 3-pointers made, Fielder only had eyes for the basket, even as New Mexico’s Tomislav Buljan slapped through the back of his arm and drew the referee’s whistle.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Mitch West, meanwhile, was licking his wounds on Monday night, when snow still hadn’t touched down in his region of South Carolina.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
28 Jan. 2026
-
England’s Test team are still licking their wounds after their humbling Down Under.—
Sam Dalling,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The pair of teams traded blows for the rest of regulation, with Gibbs-Lawhorn sinking the game-tying 3-point shot with 38 seconds left.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Its reversal is a massive blow to efforts to combat climate change.—
Josephine Rozzelle,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
Verb
-
But that gives us a different look and the versatility of being able to play the two of them together and pound the glass on both ends is a weapon for us.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
13 Feb. 2026
-
That means sneakers, ideally a pair that’s durable enough to withstand pounding the pavements, will be essential to your roster of footwear.—
Natalie Hammond,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
While Pistons forward Tobias Harris was holding Diabate back, Diabate threw a punch at Duren.—
Steve Reed,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Pistons veteran Tobias Harris was holding back Diabate, when the latter threw a punch at Duren, escalating the whole situation.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But tens of thousands of films are made each year, and quite a few of them break the rules, defy conventional narrative expectations and smack us deep in our souls.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Shepard attached the head of a 6-iron golf club to his sample collecting tool and was recorded smacking a couple golf balls across the lunar landscape.—
Arizona Republic,
AZCentral.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Thump.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thump. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
