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
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as in to smack
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wham
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
SI.com, 21 June 2019
Noun
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
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
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That the episode doesn’t engage with weightier questions around representation and A.I. only makes its bittersweet ending, in which Brandy is gifted another A.I. prototype of Dorothy, land with a thud.—
Abby Monteil,
Them.,
17 Apr. 2025
-
In the new court filing, phone records show Mortensen tried calling the other four roommates – but got no response – around the time when security camera from a residence close to the home picked up at 4:17 a.m. distorted audio of voices, a whimper, followed by a loud thud, and a barking dog.—
Lauren del Valle,
CNN,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Then with two outs, Amed Rosario smacked an RBI single.—
Steve Gorten,
Miami Herald,
13 Apr. 2025
-
Once the screen comes, Dort smacked his inside leg into Hayes’ outside one.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
With a blow of his whistle, all sorts of words applied: pandemonium, euphoria, mania.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2025
-
What’s 42 to 43? Into a black place of great blows from the little mountains from the sea came.—
John Berryman,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The match began with Uso and Gunther going back and forth with each Superstar hitting their signature moves.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Apr. 2025
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New York’s forward did so by staying attached through the bazillion screens Detroit set and recovering when he was hit.—
James L. Edwards III,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Rami Sinno is crouched beside a filing cabinet, wrestling a beach-ball sized disc out of a box, when a dull thump echoes around his laboratory.—
Billy Perrigo,
Time,
2 Apr. 2025
-
Then the silence was broken by the loud thump of Olive’s .38/40.—
Horace R. Hinkley,
Outdoor Life,
19 Mar. 2025
Verb
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One day Dave whacked the laurel hedge down to sturdy stumps, like dinosaurs fossilized midstride.—
Murr Brewster,
Christian Science Monitor,
16 Apr. 2025
-
Then, Crosby instinctively whacked at the puck and absolutely buried it top shelf.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Scott tried for a slap but Rhodes hit him with the Cross Rhodes.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
21 Apr. 2025
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Reports indicated that Scott's forceful slap across Rhodes's face resulted in a ruptured eardrum, an injury severe enough to necessitate Rhodes wearing an earplug during subsequent appearances.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Those agreements effectively boxed out Google's rivals, the DOJ said.—
Jaclyn Diaz,
NPR,
21 Apr. 2025
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His administration has said its tariffs would enable trade negotiations that would box out China, the world’s dominant manufacturer.—
Colleen Barry and Josh Boak,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wham.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wham. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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