as in extremely
to a great degree
wrote several thumping big books on World War II
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
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 thumping
Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Minnesota's 6-1 thumping of its Central Division rival in Game 1 sets up the possibility Monday night to go up 2-0 in a playoff series for the first time in 15 postseason appearances over its 25-season history.
—CBS News, 19 Apr. 2026
The thumping, upbeat dance-pop track was produced and co-written with Zhone, and sees Lovato celebrating how much her low-rise jeans are turning someone on.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2026
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
Literary Hub, 18 May 2026
The play begins with a forbidding thumping on a glass window outside a bare bones upstairs apartment where B lives a subsistence-level life with his mother.
—Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 13 May 2026
There was no bass thumping on Saturday, no one standing around having a catch and doing minimal work.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 9 May 2026
Her witty lyrics told stories about situations that most anyone could relate to – namely, money and love – blended with up-tempo, thumping beats.
—Margena A. Christian, The Conversation, 7 May 2026
Then, Metric’s peak came on 2009’s Fantasies, which paired needling electronics with thumping drum programming; both it and its follow-up, Synthetica, hit the top 10 on the Canadian albums chart and went platinum in Canada.
—Ethan Beck, Pitchfork, 4 May 2026
Borussia Dortmund confirmed their Champions League qualification for next season with a thumping 4-0 win over Freiburg.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
Only after Tisza’s thumping victory was he invited to be interviewed.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 19 Apr. 2026
By late afternoon and into sundown, Commercial Street hits its fullest, bass-thumping stride.
—Cameron Sperance, Travel + Leisure, 18 Apr. 2026
Noun
With Chapman, the issue screams at you louder than the thumping, center field speakers in Chavez Ravine.
—Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Minnesota's 6-1 thumping of its Central Division rival in Game 1 sets up the possibility Monday night to go up 2-0 in a playoff series for the first time in 15 postseason appearances over its 25-season history.
—CBS News, 19 Apr. 2026
The thumping, upbeat dance-pop track was produced and co-written with Zhone, and sees Lovato celebrating how much her low-rise jeans are turning someone on.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2026
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
Verb
In the last seconds, West Ham’s Declan Rice, an elite English midfielder who would go on to sign a record-breaking contract a year later with Arsenal for £105 million, tied the match with a thumping shot that exploded into the Kidderminster goal.
—Literary Hub, 18 May 2026
The play begins with a forbidding thumping on a glass window outside a bare bones upstairs apartment where B lives a subsistence-level life with his mother.
—Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 13 May 2026
There was no bass thumping on Saturday, no one standing around having a catch and doing minimal work.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 9 May 2026
Her witty lyrics told stories about situations that most anyone could relate to – namely, money and love – blended with up-tempo, thumping beats.
—Margena A. Christian, The Conversation, 7 May 2026
Then, Metric’s peak came on 2009’s Fantasies, which paired needling electronics with thumping drum programming; both it and its follow-up, Synthetica, hit the top 10 on the Canadian albums chart and went platinum in Canada.
—Ethan Beck, Pitchfork, 4 May 2026
Borussia Dortmund confirmed their Champions League qualification for next season with a thumping 4-0 win over Freiburg.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
Only after Tisza’s thumping victory was he invited to be interviewed.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 19 Apr. 2026
By late afternoon and into sundown, Commercial Street hits its fullest, bass-thumping stride.
—Cameron Sperance, Travel + Leisure, 18 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thumping
Adverb
-
But even Black athletes whose athleticism gifted them an extremely exclusive express lane in life can tell you stories about growing up a minority in America, or tales their parents or grandparents have told.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
14 May 2026
-
The theory of quantum electrodynamics (QED) suggests that when light at extremely high intensities interacts with the vacuum, it can be converted into matter.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Another popular belief is that the pounding of the raindrops on the ground mimics the sound of moles hunting for food, and the worms flee to escape being on the mole’s menu.—
Joan Morris,
Mercury News,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Russia’s relentless pounding of urban areas behind the front line following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago has killed thousands of civilians.—
Serra Yedikardes,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
At the surrounding tables patrons were talking, laughing, slapping one another heartily on the back.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 May 2026
-
From Rome, Rubio announced the administration was slapping additional sanctions on Cuba.—
Rick Jervis,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Even small exposures—such as licking pollen off fur or drinking water from a vase containing lilies—can be toxic.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
15 May 2026
-
Vietnamese-style sweet-and-spicy chicken wings are a hot, finger-licking mess.—
Brock Keeling,
Oc Register,
13 May 2026
Adverb
-
But Justin is very different from book to screen.—
Jennifer McClellan,
USA Today,
17 May 2026
-
In isolation, Liverpool’s summer 2025 business was very good, but there are so many mitigating factors to consider.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
Arsenal enters the match as the favorite, but Sporting has been resilient in the Champions League, rebounding from a 3-0 loss to tournament darlings Bodo/Glimt with a 5-0 thrashing in Lisbon.—
Pueng Vongs,
Mercury News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
His only Champions League goal arrived in January’s 6-0 thrashing of Qarabag, and his only assists in the competition came in similarly comfortable wins over Eintracht Frankfurt and Galatasaray.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Chicago rookie Munetaka Murakami became the first player in major league history to homer in the first game of eight straight series, smacking a solo shot off Emerson Hancock (3-1) in the first.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 May 2026
-
Chicago rookie Munetaka Murakami became the first player in major league history to homer in the first game of eight straight series, smacking a solo shot off Emerson Hancock (3-1) in the first.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
The competition’s main host, the United States, is lashing out at the world, hunting conflict across three continents.—
Franklin Leonard,
Vanity Fair,
14 May 2026
-
The whole episode, Kyle is a pendulum swinging between anger and sadness, between lashing out and injuring Amanda, and looking to be the victim.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Thumping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thumping. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
