bumping

verb

present participle of bump
as in banging
to come into usually forceful contact with something that police officer bumped into me and should have apologized

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 bumping Fears that the good times might be over slashed 15% from the share price and since then the shares have been bumping along the basement of a fall of about 35%. — Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026 That leaves operators with very little room to keep bumping prices. — Wyles Daniel, jsonline.com, 5 Aug. 2026 Traveling down conveyor belts, bumping around on baggage carts and in cargo holds, suitcases quickly pick up scuffs that can be hard to remove. — Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 27 July 2026 And for everyone in the F1 paddock, there is now additional clarity on plans for the second half of the season heading into the summer break, while bumping the calendar back up to a provisional 23 races. — Luke Smith, New York Times, 26 July 2026 This can sometimes work against you, though, since bumping the front of the laptop can register as an input. — John Loeffler, PC Magazine, 20 July 2026 Pets and other animals accidentally start hundreds of home fires each year, often by knocking over candles, tipping space heaters or bumping stove knobs. — Lauren Paige Richeson, USA Today, 15 July 2026 There’s Swain in a Texas Longhorns jersey, bumping defenders off-balance with his hip and scooping the ball out of the reach of outstretched hands. — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2026 In this case, safe meant a track big enough for two riders to race without bumping into each other. — Miami Herald, 25 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bumping
  1. banging
  2. colliding
  3. slamming
  4. smashing
  5. crashing
  6. knocking
  7. ramming
  8. hitting
Verb
  • Where grass grows right up to a tree’s trunk, the lawnmower will inevitably follow, banging and chipping the bark or scalping bark off roots that are exposed above the soil.
    — Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 9 Aug. 2026
  • In several municipalities, particularly in Havana, residents staged neighborhood protests after blackouts lasting more than 48 hours, banging pots and pans and burning garbage piled up on street corners.
    — Andrea Rodriguez, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of banging
Verb
  • Multiple 911 callers reported a black Mercedes SUV colliding with vehicles, being driven recklessly, and engaging in dangerous behaviors toward people in various locations in the city, police said.
    — Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Supporters say soaring demand for electricity for AI data centers and EVs is colliding with California’s push for 100% clean power, leaving a stubborn gap in round-the-clock, low-carbon supply that should be met by nuclear.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of colliding
Verb
  • The film also depicts Gorbachev as something of a drama queen during the meetings, slamming the table and raising his voice.
    — Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The active tropics comes on the 22nd anniversary of Hurricane Charley slamming into Florida, the beginning of one of the worst hurricane years in the state’s history.
    — Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of slamming
Verb
  • This year, conditions including a record-smashing March heat wave led to a surge in California’s native Culex mosquitoes, the transmitters of West Nile virus.
    — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Democratic turnout in these races is smashing through records — not always to the benefit of the left.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of smashing
Verb
  • That’s likely an attempt to minimize any concerns raised by the communities where the service is expanding, given these drones have already been scrutinized for crashing into cranes, internet cables, gardens, and an apartment building.
    — Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The helicopter lost its blades in the crash before crashing into the ground and rolling onto it side, Bivens said.
    — Ayesha Ali, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of crashing
Verb
  • His co-worker, Donna DuBray, was part of the group and saw Carbullido fall off, briefly knocking him out.
    — Michele Gile, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Pre-season has brought many long passing sequences from players, knocking the ball around in fluid passing triangles.
    — Carl Anka, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of knocking
Verb
  • The car continued going back and forth, ramming the bus and hitting an unmarked squad car.
    — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Hamilton, driving a Hyundai Sonata, fled at speeds of up to 130 mph, prompting the trooper to use the ramming technique state police refer to as a tactical vehicle intervention in an attempt to spin Hamilton out and halt him near the 28-mile marker.
    — Grant Lancaster, Arkansas Online, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of ramming
Verb
  • Duran started the year hitting third and now bats seventh or eighth, and his hold on everyday playing time might have been saved by Masataka Yoshida’s injury — at least until Roman Anthony’s return.
    — Jayson Stark, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Digging for compliments Shares in mining giant BHP are trading higher in Australia, hitting a two-month high, after the company topped earnings expectations and unveiled plans to pay its highest dividend in four years.
    — Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of hitting

Browse Nearby Words

bumpers
bumping
bumping into
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bumping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bumping. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of bumping for Spanish Speakers

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