as in banging
to come into usually forceful contact with something
that police officer bumped into me and should have apologized
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Kylie's debut dethroned Joe Rogan, bumping The Joe Rogan Experience down to the second spot.
—
Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025
Our team noted whether the vacuums were able to navigate around the house without bumping into furniture or getting caught on area rugs.
—Terri Williams, Architectural Digest, 3 Nov. 2025
The salary ranges between $90,200 and $105,000, according to the job listing, with a Milwaukee residency incentive bumping the pay brackets between $2,700 and $3,100.
—Vanessa Swales, jsonline.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Coach was kind of bumping along.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 28 Oct. 2025
The two companies both described the layoffs as permanent, noted the workers were not represented by a union, and stated that no affected employees have bumping rights over workers who have less seniority.
—George Avalos, Mercury News, 28 Oct. 2025
The dining scene is no joke, with trendy spots like the Italian eatery Casa Tua, the seafood mecca Clark’s Oyster Bar, or Snow Lodge, Jayma Cardoso’s bumping people-watching perch.
—Charles Curkin, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2025
The Raptors also played the Bucks, a 122-116 loss, with the home team bumping the game’s start time up by an hour to minimize the conflict between the two games.
—Eric Koreen, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Amid the heavy topics, Wollam and her fellow fist-bumping attendee were among numerous protesters across metro Detroit who donned seemingly lighthearted outfits carrying a serious message from the movement.
—Darcie Moran, Freep.com, 22 Oct. 2025
Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025
Our team noted whether the vacuums were able to navigate around the house without bumping into furniture or getting caught on area rugs.
—Terri Williams, Architectural Digest, 3 Nov. 2025
The salary ranges between $90,200 and $105,000, according to the job listing, with a Milwaukee residency incentive bumping the pay brackets between $2,700 and $3,100.
—Vanessa Swales, jsonline.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Coach was kind of bumping along.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 28 Oct. 2025
The two companies both described the layoffs as permanent, noted the workers were not represented by a union, and stated that no affected employees have bumping rights over workers who have less seniority.
—George Avalos, Mercury News, 28 Oct. 2025
The dining scene is no joke, with trendy spots like the Italian eatery Casa Tua, the seafood mecca Clark’s Oyster Bar, or Snow Lodge, Jayma Cardoso’s bumping people-watching perch.
—Charles Curkin, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2025
The Raptors also played the Bucks, a 122-116 loss, with the home team bumping the game’s start time up by an hour to minimize the conflict between the two games.
—Eric Koreen, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Amid the heavy topics, Wollam and her fellow fist-bumping attendee were among numerous protesters across metro Detroit who donned seemingly lighthearted outfits carrying a serious message from the movement.
—Darcie Moran, Freep.com, 22 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bumping
Verb
-
The legendary Public Enemy rapper and dating show debutante served as the guest judge on Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Night, in which the eight remaining couples hit the floor with head-banging routines set to a litany of iconic anthems.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Nov. 2025
-
If someone does encounter a coyote, officials said to scare away the animal by yelling, using airhorns, banging pots and pans or throwing objects.—
Megan Forrester,
ABC News,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Once stationary, deactivate all lights except the hazard flashers, engage the emergency brake, and release the brake pedal to ensure your tail lights remain unlit, minimizing the chance of other drivers colliding with your stationary vehicle.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Rojas’ play in the ninth was fantastic, but then Andy Pages one-upped him with a leaping catch on Ernie Clement’s long drive to left-center while colliding with Kiké Hernández.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Back in 1961, residents of Capitola woke up to find that hordes of black seabirds were slamming into cars, windows and people's homes and dying.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Ford said earlier that his province was spending $75 million to run ads in the United States slamming the impact of tariffs and featuring clips of Reagan.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The ceremony involved smashing a bottle of champagne into the hull of the submarine, which Navy Commander Admiral Aleksandr Moiseev did.—
Abhishek Bhardwaj,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Nov. 2025
-
The situation is likely to seem even more bizarre to some people, after a video was released Tuesday, showing Perry picking up a birthday cake presented to her by her Lifetimes Tour backup dancers and smashing it on the ground.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The plane then lifted slightly off the ground before crashing and exploding in a huge fireball.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
5 Nov. 2025
-
That plane, an Airbus A300-600F, was found to have descended at an unsafe altitude, crashing and killing both members on board.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
There were plenty of upsets, from Houston falling to West Virginia to SMU potentially knocking Miami out of the playoffs one week after the Mustangs lost to Wake Forest.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 Nov. 2025
-
Door knocking is an important part of campaigning, according to Jeff Lyons, an associate professor at Boise State University.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Johnson reportedly regained control of the vehicle and attempted to flee again, but police executed a ramming technique, known as a tactical vehicle intervention, to disable the vehicle, the release says.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
23 Oct. 2025
-
After ramming the police SUV, the man exited his vehicle while holding a hunting knife that was more than 6 inches long, county authorities said.—
Christina Hall,
Freep.com,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Gausman had retired 17 straight Dodger batters until the seventh inning, when Smith yet again got the best of him, hitting a solo home run to break the stale mate.—
Jacob Lev,
CNN Money,
26 Oct. 2025
-
The singing voices behind KPop Demon Hunters' beloved girl group HUNTR/X will be hitting the stage to perform live in concert for the first time.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bumping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bumping. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share