Thesaurus results for WHAM

wham 1 of 2

noun

ˈ(h)wam

Definition of wham

as in thud

a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument gave the TV a good wham with her fist, and suddenly the picture came back on

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

wham

2 of 2

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 wham

Noun

TreVeyon Henderson covered 12 yards on a wham run, then 18 more on a misdirection toss where fullback Jack Westover and right guard Mike Onwenu presented false keys that indicated an inside run while Henderson zipped outside. — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 28 Oct. 2025 There’s an understood language of action that marries really close-up, sharp inserts, the propulsion of rapid editing, wham-bam sound effects, and visual carnage to create excitement. — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 16 Aug. 2025 Easy drinking 100% Merlot with 14% alcohol with flavors that include dark licorice, cinnamon and nutmeg and a wham of a finish. — Tom Mullen, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2025 Bryan Ferry, Brian Eno and company made their wham-bam-glam debut on ‘Roxy Music’ 50 years ago. — Jill Krajewski, SPIN, 8 June 2022 Chabon’s magnum opus is a gloriously fun, wham-pow novel of heroes, friendship, magic, the Golden Age of Comics, and sure, okay, Hitler. — Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 9 Apr. 2020 Perhaps my overall disappointment stems from this pilot stiffness, but the more likely culprit is the standard brashness of American reality television, which is less cinema vérité and more wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am. — Robyn Bahr, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Feb. 2020 But the movie, for all its retrograde politics and wham-bam machismo, can also be slick, silly fun — a giddy exercise in freewheeling nihilism, played to the hilt. — Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 23 Jan. 2020 The movie comes at you with a quick, wham-bam style that feels like a nod to the source material, a DC Vertigo comic-book series by Ollie Masters and Ming Doyle. — San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Aug. 2019

Verb

Goalscorer Asamoah Gyan took the resulting penalty, only to wham it off the top of the bar. — SI.com, 21 June 2019

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wham

Noun

The White House’s latest dustup with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) landed with a thud Thursday among his GOP colleagues.

— Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 23 July 2026
Minus the dull thud of the boats gently colliding with the wooden posts they’re tied to, the normally busy thoroughfare is quiet.

— Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 19 July 2026

Definition of thud

Verb

The teriyaki aroma from the wings was almost strong enough to taste, and the flavor smacks you in the face from the first bite.

— Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 31 July 2026
Catcher Daniel Susac followed up Wednesday’s two-home-run game by smacking a two-run shot, and the Giants bullpen didn’t break down while protecting a 4-1 victory.

— Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 31 July 2026

Definition of smack

Noun

After Torres broke a tie with a two-run shot in the fifth, Clark delivered his big blow the following inning.

— ABC News, ABC News, 2 Aug. 2026
That was a massive blow, and losing speedy rookie wide receiver Chris Brazzell to another knee injury Wednesday didn’t help, either.

— Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of blow

Verb

As thousands of professors at in the University of California system say the students entering their classrooms are increasingly under-prepared for university-level math, the university’s timely graduation rates just hit all-time highs.

— Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 22 July 2026
Average daily rates in Miami hit $302 for both game nights and eves, according to AirDNA.

— Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 22 July 2026

Definition of hit

Verb

Poor guy is probably just trying to watch the home run derby in peace and just got drive by whacked by me.

— Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 16 July 2026
The actions to date are little more than whack-a-mole exercises as the operators simply replace their botnets with new ones.

— Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 13 July 2026

Definition of whack

Noun

While other kids his age were doling out loot bags stuffed with Bazooka bubble gum and slap bracelets, Lovett was recording his favorite music on cassette tapes as party favors.

— Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 25 July 2026
Pro wrestling is often viewed as a fake form of fighting, but the flips, jumps and landings are very real — slaps and kicks landed on reddening skin echo throughout SPW’s venues.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 24 July 2026

Definition of slap

Browse Nearby Words

whaling

wham

whammed

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Wham.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wham. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of wham

noun

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

mitigate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Popular in Wordplay

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes