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
as in to smack
Related 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 wham
SI.com, 21 June 2019
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
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
Noun
Goalscorer Asamoah Gyan took the resulting penalty, only to wham it off the top of the bar.
—SI.com, 21 June 2019
Verb
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wham
Noun
-
The offense started fast but finished with a thud.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
15 Sep. 2025
-
When the last clasp was undone, Rusty fell face first to the floor with a great thud.—
Manuel Muñoz,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Another bone-breaking moment comes during hitting drills, and as players smack each other, Tipping flips to an X-ray view that shows the brain and other internal parts of bodies being jostled around in shocking fashion.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
17 Sep. 2025
-
On one play, there were three Eagles players moving early, and the Chiefs player smacked the ball out of the centers hand and nothing was called.—
Mark Kern,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The Eagles’ defense forced an interception on the next series before another Central turnover led to the knockout blow.—
Matt Roy,
Boston Herald,
20 Sep. 2025
-
Many buyers aren’t likely to immediately face that price tag since carriers typically offer trade-in deals and payment plans to soften the blow.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The jeans also have a cropped length that hits right at the ankle and patch pockets that not only look cute, but are also functional.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Denholm is giving interviews to explain the board’s decision to award Musk a pay package that could be worth $1 trillion if the company hits milestones for market capitalization, profits, and vehicle production.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The Red Sox are in a good spot for their future, but their lineup clearly needs more thump.—
Tim Crowley,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Late that night, long after the Temple Burn, some attendees had gone back out for one last night of partying on the playa, while others hung out in the relative quiet of open camping, with the ever-present thump of EDM far off in the distance.—
Denver Nicks,
Rolling Stone,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The robot showcased exemplary skills with the bat, whacking the ball precisely in a rally of over 100 shots with human-like agility.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Sep. 2025
-
After consulting with the stunt coordinator, who gave her permission, Cooke whacked him – hard.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Tyreek Hill in a slap contest, body slamming some WWE guys, and beating all the Buccaneers offensive line in a stein-holding contest.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Opta project them to finish on 53 points, slap-bang in mid-table.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
On the latest Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams discuss some of the biggest sports business stories of the week, including Including Saturday night’s—or rather, Sunday morning’s—boxing megafight between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford.—
Scott Soshnick,
Sportico.com,
16 Sep. 2025
-
When backup tight end Nate Boerkircher boxed out Drayk Bowen for the game-winning touchdown, set up for glory by Reed’s throw on fourth-and-11 and Tyler Buchner’s botched extra point hold a drive earlier, the Texas A&M party broke contain.—
Pete Sampson,
New York Times,
14 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wham.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wham. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share