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 The Goyard Saint Louis entered the top 10 ranking at number seven, bumping the Celine Ava off the list entirely, according to the report. — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2026 There can be two women who are strong and dynamic, who are, at points, up against each other or bumping heads, but have the same mission and goal. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026 These combined create a soundscape that'll keep you bumping and immersed in your audio. — George Yang, PC Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026 Simply bumping the protein number on a label doesn’t produce those outcomes on its own. — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2026 This clamshell pack from Mystery Ranch has durable materials, solid stitching, and reinforced seams that help keep out dust from bumping around in a Land Cruiser. — Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 17 Sep. 2026 Of course, Preece’s move into the field meant bumping out another driver. — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 5 Sep. 2026 Bonhams is bumping its buyer’s premium up to 30 percent from 28 percent for bids of £25,000 ($33,700) or less. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 2 Sep. 2026 Still, with the right conditions, getting close to beds without bumping deer becomes much easier. — Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 27 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bumping
  1. banging
  2. colliding
  3. slamming
  4. smashing
  5. crashing
  6. knocking
  7. ramming
  8. hitting
Verb
  • It was recast by two local foundry workers, John Pass and John Stow, not once but twice, because the first recast produced a sound that one bystander likened to coal scuttles banging together.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 15 Oct. 2026
  • And then — more oysters, higher this time, cruel, pleasant things cutting at my hips, banging my thighs.
    — Gerald R. Hunter, Outdoor Life, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of banging
Verb
  • This struggle for national definition and the battle over the content and purpose of education are colliding with the arrival of AI in education.
    — Kamau Bobb October 21, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The 307-mile Great Redwood Trail planned along a defunct Northern California rail line is colliding with the Wailaki tribe, as members decry hikers trampling ancestral villages and graves.
    — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of colliding
Verb
  • The familyâs legal team filed complaints targeting Iranian officials who bankrolled Hamas, slamming the ICC for double standards and demanding arrest warrants for the regime bosses backing the atrocity.
    — Staff, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Alex Alvarado’s political action committee is behind the texts slamming Rodriguez in an apparent effort to help Republican Attorney General James Uthmeier stay in office.
    — Annie Martin, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of slamming
Verb
  • Protests last week devolved into mayhem, with people setting fires, storming public buildings, smashing shop windows, looting and clashing with police.
    — ELITSA GADEVA, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
  • This was the 36th launch and landing for B1063, which notably launched NASA's DART asteroid-smashing mission in November 2021.
    — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of smashing
Verb
  • Thursday rain flips direction As the cyclone moves over land Thursday, showers that were moving out of the south will flip and begin crashing in out of the north, this time with less energy and moisture to keep rainfall sustained for long.
    — Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The Kool-Aid man never comes crashing through the wall; there’s no cameo from Big Red’s kissing couple.
    — Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of crashing
Verb
  • Video shared by NorCal Resist showed Moreida standing in the street recording an approaching SUV when its front-right corner struck him, knocking him to the pavement.
    — Daniel Hunt, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Coral Springs Police said 44-year-old Matthew John Ryan rammed a shopping cart with a dog inside into the menorah at Chabad of Coral Springs on North University Drive, knocking it completely over.
    — Bri Buckley, CBS News, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of knocking
Verb
  • On Monday, Haines, 65, was standing at the rear of her parked car, unpacking items from the trunk, when a man driving a Toyota Land Cruiser drove past her before allegedly turning around and ramming her into her vehicle.
    — Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Witnesses say the driver rammed his victim, pinning her against her own car before reversing and ramming her a second time.
    — Rod McGuirk, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of ramming
Verb
  • Social media videos of him hitting tennis balls and baseballs while listing his policy proposals have provided a font of online mockery.
    — Philip Elliott, Time, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Lips and eyes were also adorned at the L’Oreal Paris booth, where guests received touch-ups before hitting the adjacent Allure Red Carpet.
    — Eden Stuart, Allure, 19 Oct. 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 25 Oct. 2026.

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