thwack

verb

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\ ˈthwak

thwacked; thwacking; thwacks

Definition of thwack

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

: to strike with or as if with something flat or heavy : whack

thwack

noun

Definition of thwack (Entry 2 of 2)

: a heavy blow : whack also : the sound of or as if of such a blow

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about thwack

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Examples of thwack in a Sentence

Verb A book fell off the shelf and thwacked me on the head. thwacked the growling dog on the nose with a rolled-up newspaper Noun he gave the ball a hard thwack with the bat and sent it deep into the outfield even from the top of the bleachers we could hear the loud thwack of the ball being hit

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Line up, charge aimlessly, and then thwack at one another. — Erik Kain, Forbes, "‘Vikings’ Series Finale Review: The Last Three Sons Of Ragnar Lothbrok," 21 Mar. 2021 They have been thwacked with tariffs on steel, aluminium and components from China, and threatened with broader levies on cars and car parts in the name of national security. — The Economist, "The Trump administration is trying to reforge carmakers’ supply chains," 14 Nov. 2019 On Sunday, Drew Brees thwacked his thumb off Aaron Donald’s helmet and now needs surgery. — Conor Orr, SI.com, "Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning Showing Their Mortality as Quarterbacks," 16 Sep. 2019 The other night, a helicopter hovered over my old Craftsman, thwack-thwack-thwacking me into a new dawn. — Los Angeles Times, "Column: Unplugging from ‘L.A. me’ once a year lets me plug back in refueled to see life anew," 17 Aug. 2019 But for her own productions, Ms. Borges mixes these childhood influences with polyrhythms, frantic beats, air horns and elements of genres like trance, European techno, Afro-house and American R&B. Her drums thwack like a bucking bronco. — Kate Hutchinson, New York Times, "Nídia Is Bringing the Sound of Lisbon’s Ghettos to the World," 14 June 2018 Belgium had been thwacked by Italy and Turkey in the group stage of that 2000 tournament in a resounding message about the country’s prowess. — Andrew Beaton, WSJ, "The Professor Who Helped Make Belgian Soccer a World Power," 9 July 2018 But Bourdain chose his targets carefully, often made amends, and rarely thwacked his rhetorical skillet upon the less powerful. — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, "What Anthony Bourdain Understood About Authenticity," 12 June 2018 Washed away in a torrent, on Rocky goes, thwacking and plonking his way to Texas and then to South Dakota. — Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, "Children’s Books: Happy Earth Day," 20 Apr. 2018 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Whistles blaring, grown men shouting, the thwack of a quarterback’s pass hitting a receiver’s hands. — John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Return of football practice brings smiles to many across county," 26 Feb. 2021 Anyone who has worked in a hospital or nursing home knows the sickening sound of an old person falling: a faint cry, the scrape of a grasped nightstand, the horrible thwack of failing limbs and an undefended skull meeting hard floor. — Ben Moor, STAT, "Too many Covid-19 patients face death alone. Vaccinated volunteers could change that," 27 Jan. 2021 The thwack of heat from a paving of black pepper on the pork ribs balances their meaty excess. — Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, "The 101: These L.A. takeout pop-ups are meeting the moment and forging a future," 8 Dec. 2020 The thwack and pop of the paddle hitting the ball is ubiquitous. — Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY, "Inside the NBA bubble, pickleball battles have become the stuff of legend," 7 Oct. 2020 But in the Covid-19 era, the thwack of ball on racket is echoing through an oppressive silence at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens. — Stephen Collinson, With Shelby Rose, CNN, "Most people who live in glass houses don't throw stones. Trump is not most people.," 2 Sep. 2020 Much of this silence, though, was routinely broken by the thwack of a driver making contact with a golf ball, sometimes heard from as far as two holes away. — Tom Fox, Dallas News, "Dallas Morning News Outtakes: Silence in the midst of a pandemic," 18 June 2020 Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium echoed with the thwack of bats hitting balls on Thursday, as the Rakuten Monkeys clobbered the Uni Lions 15 to 3. — Ivan Watson, Rebecca Wright And Tom Booth, CNN, "Taiwan plays ball -- and broadcasts live games to the world," 17 Apr. 2020 Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and Sam Cooke all made hits with his feel for the groove and tremendous thwack on the snare. — Morgan Enos, Billboard, "Hal Blaine: Every No. 1 Hit The Wrecking Crew Drummer Played On," 12 Mar. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'thwack.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.