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\ ˈthwak 
\
\thwacked; thwacking; thwacks
Definition of thwack
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to strike with or as if with something flat or heavy : whack
thwack
nounDefinition of thwack (Entry 2 of 2)
: a heavy blow : whack also : the sound of or as if of such a blow
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Synonyms for thwack
Synonyms: Verb
- bang,
- bash,
- bat,
- belt,
- biff,
- bludgeon,
- bob,
- bonk,
- bop,
- box,
- bust,
- clap,
- clip,
- clobber,
- clock,
- clout,
- crack,
- hammer,
- hit,
- knock,
- nail,
- paste,
- pound,
- punch,
- rap,
- slam,
- slap,
- slog,
- slug,
- smack,
- smite,
- sock,
- strike,
- swat,
- swipe,
- tag,
- thump,
- wallop,
- whack,
- whale,
- zap
Synonyms: Noun
- bang,
- bash,
- bat,
- beat,
- belt,
- biff,
- blow,
- bop,
- box,
- buffet,
- bust,
- chop,
- clap,
- clip,
- clout,
- crack,
- cuff,
- dab,
- douse
- [British],
- fillip,
- hack,
- haymaker,
- hit,
- hook,
- knock,
- larrup
- [dialect],
- lash,
- lick,
- pelt,
- pick,
- plump,
- poke,
- pound,
- punch,
- rap,
- slam,
- slap,
- slug,
- smack,
- smash,
- sock,
- spank,
- stinger,
- stripe,
- stroke,
- swat,
- swipe,
- switch,
- thud,
- thump,
- wallop,
- welt,
- whack,
- wham,
- whop
- (also whap)
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
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Recent Examples on the Web: Verb 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, "Children’s Books: Happy Earth Day," 20 Apr. 2018 If a jockey is thwacked off his mount, his riderless horse can still win on its own, like Garfunkel arriving without Simon.
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Dwight Garner, New York Times, "The Palio di Siena: A Survivor’s Tale," 16 Apr. 2018 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun At times the heads jerk sideways, as if recoiling from a slap, the gesture accompanied by a thwack of hand on thigh.
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BostonGlobe.com, "At the ICA, postmodern classic ‘Fase’ retains its power - The Boston Globe," 21 Sep. 2019 Moore and the producer Mike Viola show attention to small, intriguing details, such as the drumbeat that ends each measure in a multi-thwack cul-de-sac.
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Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, "What Makes Mandy Moore’s Return to Music So Poignant," 18 Sep. 2019 She was interrupted by what sounded like a rifle shot — thwack!
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Bob Shaw, Twin Cities, "Fore? Indoor golf soars, as outdoor golf struggles," 4 July 2019 And with the thwack of a gavel, a federal court judge in Chicago dismissed a lawsuit today that could have halted construction of the Obama Presidential Center on South Side parkland.
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Lisa Donovan, chicagotribune.com, "The Spin: Lightfoot's gift to Oprah Winfrey is a book by Chicago artist - with an essay by the mayor," 11 June 2019 The old mechanical thwack of a high-end DSLR is a joy that mirrorless cameras can only ever hope to imitate.
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Vlad Savov, The Verge, "The Leica S3 is a frustratingly awesome medium format DSLR," 27 Sep. 2018 That Super Bowl commercial with the overdramatic chorus punctuated by massive thwacks on the bass drum?
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Weston Williams, The Christian Science Monitor, "'Verdi' takes a lively approach to uncovering the man behind the art," 4 July 2018 Fay winds up with the Squatch Stik and takes a home-run swing at a tall tree, sending a loud thwack echoing through the forest.
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Leah Sottile, SFChronicle.com, "Gone ‘squatchin’: How to hunt for Bigfoot," 8 June 2018 The camps echoed with the thwack of hammers nailing planks into place and with the grunts of men positioning sandbags on their roofs to keep them from blowing away.
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Shashank Bengali, latimes.com, "Rohingya Muslims who escaped the Myanmar army now brace for a threat they can't outrun: Rain," 30 May 2018
See MoreThese 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.
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More Definitions for thwack
thwack
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of thwack
: to hit (someone or something) hard with a loud sound
See the full definition for thwack in the English Language Learners Dictionary
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Time Traveler for thwack
The first known use of thwack was circa 1530
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