BUMPING Synonyms: 40 Similar and Opposite Words

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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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 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 Against this stripped down but still bumping backdrop, Christmas and Crack’s loose, witty braggadocio shines. — Brendan Hay, SPIN, 24 Aug. 2026 In June, Luna hopped clumsily from one branch to another, bumping Sandy off her perch and sending her to a branch below. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bumping

Verb

Sox right fielder Tristan Peters suffered a bruised shoulder/rib while banging into the outfield wall on Kevin McGonigle’s three-run triple in the fifth inning.

— Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
In 2015, Ben Hiscox died after falling backwards and banging his head on the clubhouse wall during an amateur game at Stoke Gifford, near Bristol.

— Stuart James, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of banging

Verb

Extreme nuclear matter RHIC operated at BNL from 2000 to 2026 and was designed to investigate exotic forms of nuclear matter by colliding heavy atomic nuclei, like gold, at nearly the speed of light.

— Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 23 Sep. 2026
What began as a fringe biohacking trend is now colliding with nightlife, and the shift is starting to reshape how people plan a night out.

— Ashley Lynch, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of colliding

Verb

Suddenly, a 2004 Ford Expedition barreled into the intersection from the wrong direction at a high rate of speed, slamming into the middle of the bus.

— Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
Back when the first trailer for Scream 7 was released last October, fans quickly began slamming the movie on social media, calling for a boycott.

— Glenn Garner, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of slamming

Verb

The helicopter crashed in a driveway between two warehouses, smashing into a pair of truck cargo containers while the news crew tried grabbing video footage of a serious collision involving a Metro bus that also left two people dead.

— Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
In the rare instances people have spotted, these birds avoid getting stung by smashing the wasps on the ground to break the stingers before finishing their meal.

— Sean Donnelly, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of smashing

Verb

Rain and strong winds had already started to pummel the coast, with waves crashing onto the normally pristine beaches.

— MEGAN JANETSKY, Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026
Later, this same organic material hitched a ride on crashing meteorites to seed a young, barren Earth.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of crashing

Verb

According to court documents, a woman told police that Pace, who was her child’s father, was inside her residence when her boyfriend, Adams, arrived and began knocking loudly on the door.

— Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2026
Next, the door becomes his battering ram, knocking three enemies down to the landing below him.

— Chris Klimek, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of knocking

Verb

Bystander video of the July 2024 incident shows Showalter dropping from a standing position and ramming his knee into the neck of a restrained man, William Hardy, of Kansas City, who was lying on the ground.

— Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 16 Sep. 2026
And Trooper Bernard Major reaching speeds up to 94 miles an hour before ramming the suspect’s truck from behind.

— Brittany Wallman, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of ramming

Verb

Iamaleava looked poised in the pocket, going through multiple reads and hitting pass catchers across the field in an array of spots and formations.

— Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026
Rising fuel prices caused by the instability at the Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb straits are hitting farmers in parts of the West just as harvest season opens.

— Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of hitting

Browse Nearby Words

bumpers

bumping

bumping into

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“Bumping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bumping. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of bumping

verb

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