as in extremely
to a great degree
wrote several thumping big books on World War II
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in pounding
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in slapping
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
thumped the desk with his hand as he delivered his speech
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in licking
to strike repeatedly
playfully knocked his younger brother down and began to thump him with a foam bat
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of thumping
Sam Kriss, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Through this lens, Slater’s downfall at DOJ is less an ideological thumping than a mundane drama of personality and personnel fights.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 14 Feb. 2026
Then the dam broke didn't celebrate after their thumping of Canada ended their preliminary round undefeated.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
Six different players scored in a 7-0 thumping of a surging Needham group — with three goals coming from the third line.
—Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 23 Jan. 2026
My nights were filled with the thumping of someone else’s dirty clothes and the feeling of something skittering across my leg.
—Literary Hub, 16 Jan. 2026
With a merciless 56-22 thumping of Oregon in the Peach Bowl, the Hoosiers punched their ticket to their first national championship game appearance in program history.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 10 Jan. 2026
Florida went on an 11-point run in the first half, just for UConn to end the half on a 28-14 thumping.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 10 Dec. 2025
The Bulldogs have shut them out six times during that streak, including last year’s 43-0 thumping.
—Matt Schubert, Denver Post, 29 Oct. 2025
Damian Calhoun, Daily News, 16 Mar. 2026
There are some of the director’s characteristic flourishes along the way, and the tone is set early; thumping Kasabian track ‘Days Are Forgotten’ plays in the opening credits, leading into a prison-yard fight moments into the first episode.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 12 Mar. 2026
Raya, in keeping with what had gone before, took his time before thumping it high into the night sky as the final whistle sounded.
—Stuart James, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Saturday's thumping by UCLA, in which the Bruins led 4-0 after the first inning and 6-1 after the second, was a bit alarming.
—Tony Catalina, Austin American Statesman, 2 Mar. 2026
Babyfxce’s previous album was more like a smorgasbord, doling out dirty talk over thumping twerk-drill and groovy funk beats.
—Matthew Ritchie, Pitchfork, 23 Feb. 2026
The Eagles won their first-ever CIF Open Division state championship in December by thumping defeating De La Salle 47–13.
—Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Feb. 2026
Fittingly, the song’s thumping beat is heard twice, real loud, in Rosebush Pruning, Karim Aїnouz’s high-gloss, pitch-dark satire about an American family described by one of its scions as mediocre, vapid egotists, who will never have to work thanks to a large inheritance.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 14 Feb. 2026
The tradition of wooden-clog making, or thumping nightlife?
—Lane Nieset, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Feb. 2026
Noun
His preferred genre was hardstyle—frantic thumping remixes of pop songs by the likes of Katy Perry and Taylor Swift.
—Sam Kriss, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Through this lens, Slater’s downfall at DOJ is less an ideological thumping than a mundane drama of personality and personnel fights.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 14 Feb. 2026
Then the dam broke didn't celebrate after their thumping of Canada ended their preliminary round undefeated.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
Six different players scored in a 7-0 thumping of a surging Needham group — with three goals coming from the third line.
—Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 23 Jan. 2026
My nights were filled with the thumping of someone else’s dirty clothes and the feeling of something skittering across my leg.
—Literary Hub, 16 Jan. 2026
With a merciless 56-22 thumping of Oregon in the Peach Bowl, the Hoosiers punched their ticket to their first national championship game appearance in program history.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 10 Jan. 2026
Florida went on an 11-point run in the first half, just for UConn to end the half on a 28-14 thumping.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 10 Dec. 2025
The Bulldogs have shut them out six times during that streak, including last year’s 43-0 thumping.
—Matt Schubert, Denver Post, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
Evelyn Shores scored in the 53rd minute, thumping home a header from Fuller on a corner kick.
—Damian Calhoun, Daily News, 16 Mar. 2026
There are some of the director’s characteristic flourishes along the way, and the tone is set early; thumping Kasabian track ‘Days Are Forgotten’ plays in the opening credits, leading into a prison-yard fight moments into the first episode.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 12 Mar. 2026
Raya, in keeping with what had gone before, took his time before thumping it high into the night sky as the final whistle sounded.
—Stuart James, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Saturday's thumping by UCLA, in which the Bruins led 4-0 after the first inning and 6-1 after the second, was a bit alarming.
—Tony Catalina, Austin American Statesman, 2 Mar. 2026
Babyfxce’s previous album was more like a smorgasbord, doling out dirty talk over thumping twerk-drill and groovy funk beats.
—Matthew Ritchie, Pitchfork, 23 Feb. 2026
The Eagles won their first-ever CIF Open Division state championship in December by thumping defeating De La Salle 47–13.
—Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Feb. 2026
Fittingly, the song’s thumping beat is heard twice, real loud, in Rosebush Pruning, Karim Aїnouz’s high-gloss, pitch-dark satire about an American family described by one of its scions as mediocre, vapid egotists, who will never have to work thanks to a large inheritance.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 14 Feb. 2026
The tradition of wooden-clog making, or thumping nightlife?
—Lane Nieset, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thumping
Adverb
-
One of the more important revelations from Netanyahu’s press conference was about how the joint strikes with the United States, known as Operation Epic Fury, have been extremely effective at decimating Iran’s weapons.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Yet, actual bones have been extremely rare.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
All around the Tivoli quarries, the air is heavy with the stench of sulfur and the constant pounding, clinking and cracking of giant jackhammers blasting ancient rock into pieces.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Feb. 2026
-
This section of shoreline is lined with cliffs, below which are sea caves, formed over centuries by the relentless pounding of Lake Superior waves.—
Stephanie Pearson,
Outside,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Everyone erupted into cheers, slapping their 14-year-old brother on the back and jostling him playfully.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Itoje was sin-binned in the 64th for illegally slapping the ball in a maul and 13 men were playing Italy's 15.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The spotless streets are polished nightly by the feet of families licking ice cream.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Mar. 2026
-
On April 30, 2025, the dog was reportedly licking its tail and lethargic.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
27 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
What is more concerning is that the KC-135 is now very old (first built in the late 1950s) and is in dire need of retirement or upgrade.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Leaderboards were filled with circles and squares with very few pars in between.—
Gabby Herzig,
New York Times,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The first was at Wolverhampton Wanderers, then the second was in the closing stages of the thrashing of Crystal Palace at Elland Road.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Stevenson played his best game in the Pats’ regular-season finale, a 38-10 thrashing of Miami.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Her furious attempts to extricate herself from Ramirez ended with her smacking her head on the parking lot asphalt and Ramirez hitting her in the right eye, according to the arrest report.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Shepard attached the head of a 6-iron golf club to his sample collecting tool and was recorded smacking a couple golf balls across the lunar landscape.—
Arizona Republic,
AZCentral.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Harvey Prager had been on watch for hours, steering through lashing rain and 20-foot waves in the Yucatan Channel.—
Jack Crosbie,
Rolling Stone,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Meanwhile, a powerful atmospheric river has been lashing Hawaii with relentless rain over the past five days, causing widespread flash flooding and landslides.—
Denise Chow,
NBC news,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Thumping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thumping. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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