thud

1 of 2

noun

1
2
: a dull sound : thump

thud

2 of 2

verb

thudded; thudding

intransitive verb

: to move or strike so as to make a thud

Example Sentences

Noun The book hit the floor with a thud. The ball landed with a thud. I heard a heavy thud on the roof. Verb The ball thudded against the side of the house. the snowball thudded against the side of my car
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Instead of a surprising bang, the sound will be more of a thud, like the sound of a car door closing around the corner. Jaclyn Trop, Robb Report, 5 Apr. 2023 There was no thud of artillery or shriek from a missile, just the quiet hum of a funeral procession. Natalia Yermak, New York Times, 8 Aug. 2022 Rhythmic thuds and barked commands could be heard moments later. Ricardo Delgado, San Antonio Express-News, 22 Mar. 2023 Which isn’t to say Tebas has embraced the Super League, an idea which appears to have landed with a thud yet again. Staff Writer Follow, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2023 That is why Darlington’s occasional banalities land with a thud. Melissa Holbrook Pierson, Washington Post, 6 Feb. 2023 Tennessee went down with a thud. Ralph D. Russo, ajc, 20 Nov. 2022 The cost of their magic is twofold: Thanks to the dull thud of misogyny, amplifying the fierce softness of girl world will always come with detractors—even when some men make bank on eerily similar vibes. Faran Krentcil, ELLE, 11 Feb. 2023 In March, Robert Kraft was reflecting on an improved 2021 season, when a free agent splurge helped erase the sting of a 7-9 2020 campaign but ended with a thud in an embarrassingly lopsided playoff loss to the Bills. Tara Sullivan, BostonGlobe.com, 29 Dec. 2022
Verb
Its standard 18-inch wheel-and-tire combo provides a smoother and quieter ride than the RS model which wears large 21-inchers and thudded over bumpy roads. Eric Stafford, Car and Driver, 28 Mar. 2023 Toronto experimental artist Debby Friday was onstage, performing a thudding electro-rap song with hints of Azealia Banks and Donna Summer. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rolling Stone, 17 Mar. 2023 The inflation report thudded onto Wall Street along with a batch of other data painting a mixed picture of the economy. Stan Choe, ajc, 17 Feb. 2023 This bizarrely misfiring show, with thudding music and lyrics by Mark Eitzel—his third collaboration with Stephens—features a cook (Norbert Leo Butz) named Jacob, who works in a West Village café that might not survive a building sale. Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2023 Tonal users sometimes miss this, thudding their back knee into the floor on every rep. Your Fix: Add Tempo Take 2 to 3 seconds to lower on every rep—and count out loud. Ebenezer Samuel, Men's Health, 15 Feb. 2023 But there's substance to this car beyond the way the doors thud home when they're shut. Don Schroeder, Car and Driver, 3 Jan. 2023 Whenever your fox releases a ladder, unlocks a door, flips a switch, or activates a bridge, the resulting animations heave and thud with seemingly ancient mechanisms. Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, 16 Mar. 2022 After going up to challenge a shot near the rim late in the second quarter, Forrest fell awkwardly and banged his head hard on the court, the sickening thud audible throughout the arena. Eric Walden, The Salt Lake Tribune, 11 Oct. 2021 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thud.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

imitative

First Known Use

Noun

1787, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1796, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of thud was in 1787

Dictionary Entries Near thud

Cite this Entry

“Thud.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thud. Accessed 5 Jun. 2023.

Kids Definition

thud

1 of 2 verb
thudded; thudding
: to move or strike so as to make a dull sound

thud

2 of 2 noun
1
2
: a dull sound : thump sense 1

More from Merriam-Webster on thud

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