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

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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 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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bumping

Verb

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
As the spot ends, the robot is left banging its head against a wall.

— Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of banging

Verb

Still, diesel's record-setting rise colliding with the fall harvest season means that costs will balloon for producers of crops like corn and wheat, according to Jacob Aiken-Phillips, head of consumer and retail research at Melius Research.

— Alex Harring, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2026
And just a few hours before F1’s first practice session of the weekend on Friday afternoon, a Formula 2 car went up in flames after colliding with the barriers.

— Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 13 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

Next, the door becomes his battering ram, knocking three enemies down to the landing below him.

— Chris Klimek, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026
Some of the entries this year have been knocking on the Hall door for years, including Tickle Me Elmo, the Pokémon Trading Card Game and Mahjong.

— ABC News, ABC News, 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

Season five ended abruptly after a video leaked of Taylor Frankie Paul throwing a stool at her ex Dakota Mortensen and almost hitting her daughter.

— Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026
Kyle Schwarber led off with a single, hitting another later in the inning.

— Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 14 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 22 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of bumping

verb

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