as in banging
to come into usually forceful contact with something
that police officer bumped into me and should have apologized
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Recent Examples of bumping
And yet the Democrat is bumping along near the bottom, a blip in polls and a laggard in the money chase.
—
Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2026
Betty Yee is bumping along near the bottom in California’s race for governor.
—Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026
The vibe is flirty but chic—ready for low lighting, a wine list, and knees bumping beneath the table.
—Malia Griggs, Glamour, 3 Mar. 2026
On the walk back, Lilian noticed a girl, a head taller than Jude, keeping to his side, sometimes bumping into him.
—Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
The Bruins forward tried to squeeze between Vladar and defenseman Travis Sanheim, bumping the netminder on his way.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 28 Feb. 2026
Loftis adds that some story artists contributed clever ideas as well, including ensuring that every area had a snake accessible ramp so characters could slide up without bumping over stairs.
—Carole Horst, Variety, 24 Feb. 2026
The employees at the Memphis facility are not represented by a collective bargaining agreement and do not have bumping rights.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 23 Feb. 2026
There’s a lot of serendipity and people bumping into one another.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 18 Feb. 2026
Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2026
Betty Yee is bumping along near the bottom in California’s race for governor.
—Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026
The vibe is flirty but chic—ready for low lighting, a wine list, and knees bumping beneath the table.
—Malia Griggs, Glamour, 3 Mar. 2026
On the walk back, Lilian noticed a girl, a head taller than Jude, keeping to his side, sometimes bumping into him.
—Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
The Bruins forward tried to squeeze between Vladar and defenseman Travis Sanheim, bumping the netminder on his way.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 28 Feb. 2026
Loftis adds that some story artists contributed clever ideas as well, including ensuring that every area had a snake accessible ramp so characters could slide up without bumping over stairs.
—Carole Horst, Variety, 24 Feb. 2026
The employees at the Memphis facility are not represented by a collective bargaining agreement and do not have bumping rights.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 23 Feb. 2026
There’s a lot of serendipity and people bumping into one another.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 18 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bumping
Verb
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Residents in several neighborhoods have been protesting at night as the capital has been plunged into darkness, banging pots and pans and shouting anti-government slogans.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Every so often, a shot sailed wide, the puck banging loudly against the glass behind the net.—
Panashe Matemba-Mutasa,
Mercury News,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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These storms are forming because warm, moist air surging north from the Gulf of Mexico is colliding with a strong cold front and upper-level storm system moving in from the Plains, creating atmospheric instability.—
Karen Carter,
CBS News,
10 Mar. 2026
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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,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Now, further observations of the aftermath of the mission – which entailed intentionally slamming a vehicle into a space rock – is revealing something unexpected in the binary system of asteroids.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
-
All forms of assault, including slamming someone against a wall, stabbing and punching, are not OK.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Have a little fun in the kitchen smashing the tiny spuds before seasoning with garlic and rosemary.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
14 Mar. 2026
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Irons pounds the drums like Bam-Bam smashing on two garbage-can lids.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Read All About It A defunct NASA satellite is crashing back to Earth, with a small risk of falling debris.—
Marissa Martinez,
NBC news,
11 Mar. 2026
-
The victim in the vehicle told police that the moped had failed to stop at a stop sign, crashing into her car, and leading her to lose control of her vehicle.—
Colleen Cronin,
Boston Herald,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The 13-year-old allegedly punched Hernandez-Lopez multiple times in the face, knocking him unconscious before deputies arrived, the sheriff’s office said.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
12 Mar. 2026
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Monaco, despite being reduced to 10 men in both legs, also came unexpectedly close to knocking them out of the play-offs.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Police departments across South Florida are reassuring the community Thursday night that their officers are on high alert following an armed attacker ramming his truck into one of the nation’s largest Reform synagogues in Michigan earlier in the day.—
Devoun Cetoute,
Miami Herald,
12 Mar. 2026
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Authorities say the suspect in Thursday's attack is dead after ramming a truck into the building and being confronted by security.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Separately, emergency crews in Oman are battling a fire at fuel storage tanks, after a social media video geolocated by CNN appeared to show an Iranian drone hitting a tank at the port.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
12 Mar. 2026
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Another officer returned fire, hitting Rivera twice.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bumping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bumping. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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