THUDDING Synonyms: 40 Similar and Opposite Words

thudding

verb

present participle of thud

as in bumping

to come into usually forceful contact with something the snowball thudded against the side of my car

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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 thudding But the data center surge could come to a sudden, thudding halt if those big companies do not soon see a return on their investment. — Joel Mathis, TheWeek, 2 July 2026 This music is often so simplistic—tenth-grade emo-thirst-trap-core with yearning synths, thudding drums, and maybe a lick of guitar—that a machine could do it too. — Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 25 June 2026 Some place where the days were days and the nights fell with thudding certainty. — Literary Hub, 17 June 2026 My heart begins thudding in time with her step. — Danielle Parker, CBS News, 9 June 2026 The mantra is set against the kind of thudding club beat that defined the earliest phases of her career. — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 2 May 2026 Each must traverse more than a mile-and-a-half of terrain, through a canyon, into shadows and out, over rolls that hurl the body half a football field through the air before thudding it back down again. — Barry Svrluga, Washington Post, 8 Feb. 2026 The latest version kicks off with a moody set piece before a gun shot and thudding drums make way for a beat that sounds like a drowning beeper. — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025 The early-career excitement Spielberg generated with Duel, The Sugarland Express, Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind came to a thudding halt with the frenetically busy, hopelessly bloated war comedy, 1941. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 20 Nov. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for thudding

Verb

There’s Swain in a Texas Longhorns jersey, bumping defenders off-balance with his hip and scooping the ball out of the reach of outstretched hands.

— Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2026
In this case, safe meant a track big enough for two riders to race without bumping into each other.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 25 June 2026

Definition of bumping

Verb

With men on first and second against Andrew Alvarez (2-3), Rice hit a drive on the fourth straight curveball from Alvarez that center fielder Dylan Crews was unable to catch while slamming into the wall.

— CBS News, CBS News, 12 July 2026
Six fighting bulls and their steers repeatedly knocked runners to the cobblestones, with one bull breaking from the herd and slamming into a cluster of unsuspecting participants.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2026

Definition of slamming

Verb

Wednesday’s Code Red heat warning in Allegheny County is colliding with one of Pittsburgh’s biggest summer events, and emergency doctors say that mix of 100‑degree temperatures, crowded bridges and salty drinks is a dangerous combination.

— Gabby Sartori, USA Today, 14 July 2026
Last October, a 62-year-old experienced skydiver from Connecticut died after colliding with another skydiver mid-air.

— Neal Riley, CBS News, 13 July 2026

Definition of colliding

Verb

Stacking layers like a gourmet burger is the secret behind smashing efficiency and stability records.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 9 July 2026
Djokovic became so frustrated that he was given a code violation warning for smashing a racket, before eventually hauling himself over the line.

— Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 5 July 2026

Definition of smashing

Verb

Of course, some of the rocks were found to have some fiberglass and even carpet remnants on them after crashing through the roof of a house, Jenniskens said.

— Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 15 July 2026
Even after the movie’s distributor Universal released another batch of tickets in June, fans faced crashing websites and hours-long waits online to lock in a screening.

— Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 14 July 2026

Definition of crashing

Verb

Rampaging around towns on the Tasmanian coast, Neil has stolen hearts even as he has been spotted overturning road posts, ramming into cars, sleeping in residential areas and blocking traffic.

— Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 8 July 2026
Other threats against such large events include a potential vehicle-ramming attack or a mass shooting.

— Christopher Cann, USA Today, 24 June 2026

Definition of ramming

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thudded

thudding

thuds

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“Thudding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thudding. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of thudding

verb

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