as in thuds
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
In frustration, she gave the jammed copier a thump with her fist.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in slaps
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 licks
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.
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Recent Examples of thumps
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
You’ll be thrown around in your seat, which moves in sync with the action, along with thumps in the back, splashes of water, blasts of air, smoke, and flashes of light.
—
Benny Har-Even,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2026
In Guyana’s capital city of Georgetown, neighbors can still hear the thumps.
—
Tyler Jett,
Des Moines Register,
21 Jan. 2026
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 Feb. 2026
Pam thumps down to earth, all four chair legs on the floor.
—
Allegra Goodman,
New Yorker,
4 Jan. 2026
Its Dolby Atmos fills your space, the subwoofer thumps, and Q-Symphony sync turns your TV into an epic sound machine.
—
PC Magazine,
10 Oct. 2025
A couple of good back slaps and thumps from the adoring crowd.
—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
In one incident, a predator, confirmed by a state biologist to have been a wolf, attacked an elk on the front steps of a home in Sierra County as the college-age son of the owner cowered inside, alone and afraid amid the growls and thumps that were shaking the front door.
—
Sacbee.com,
18 Sep. 2025
To the pop of a bottle of Ruinart champagne served with Petrossian caviar and blinis, the train thumps and clacks south of the French capital, picking up pace through villages and vineyards, warm air billowing through the wind-down windows.
—
Monisha Rajesh,
Condé Nast Traveler,
18 July 2025
Noun
Agents yelled from every direction, and the thumps of a news helicopter overhead were deafening.
—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
You’ll be thrown around in your seat, which moves in sync with the action, along with thumps in the back, splashes of water, blasts of air, smoke, and flashes of light.
—
Benny Har-Even,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2026
In Guyana’s capital city of Georgetown, neighbors can still hear the thumps.
—
Tyler Jett,
Des Moines Register,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
Aledo thumps Colleyville Heritage, Joshua next Tiara Butler dropped in 13 points to lead Aledo to a 48-21 win over Colleyville Heritage in a Class 5A Division I bi-district playoff on Monday.
—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 Feb. 2026
Pam thumps down to earth, all four chair legs on the floor.
—
Allegra Goodman,
New Yorker,
4 Jan. 2026
Its Dolby Atmos fills your space, the subwoofer thumps, and Q-Symphony sync turns your TV into an epic sound machine.
—
PC Magazine,
10 Oct. 2025
A couple of good back slaps and thumps from the adoring crowd.
—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
In one incident, a predator, confirmed by a state biologist to have been a wolf, attacked an elk on the front steps of a home in Sierra County as the college-age son of the owner cowered inside, alone and afraid amid the growls and thumps that were shaking the front door.
—
Sacbee.com,
18 Sep. 2025
To the pop of a bottle of Ruinart champagne served with Petrossian caviar and blinis, the train thumps and clacks south of the French capital, picking up pace through villages and vineyards, warm air billowing through the wind-down windows.
—
Monisha Rajesh,
Condé Nast Traveler,
18 July 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thumps
Noun
-
Rapp, up on Taft Point, heard two thuds.
-
Likewise, the score by Tony Doogan leans too heavily on generic electronic thuds, the kind that segue into a commercial break cliffhanger and an ad for blood pressure medicine.
Verb
-
Wilhelm enters the room, removes most of his clothing and gets into bed with her, slaps her, pushes her away and then caresses her face and cradles her.
-
That direct relationship is what separates a true farm to table operation from a restaurant that simply slaps the phrase on a marketing page.
Verb
-
Food stands also debuted that year, with ribs sizzling along with the blues licks.
-
At one point in a dinner scene, Shields' Erika licks Joey's fingers.
Noun
-
Onaje died four days later — having suffered fatal brain hemorrhaging from multiple blows to his skull.
-
Officers said that Samartino quickly assessed the situation and immediately began administering back blows to the infant.
Verb
-
From conveyor belts and baggage carts to overhead bins and taxi trunks, luggage is constantly subjected to bumps, knocks and rough handling.
-
This knocks Europe out in a single shot.
Verb
-
Teams go bonkers when the player pounds their school name on the bracket.
-
Rain pounds down in a stinging curtain.
Noun
-
Rey exploded on Ethan with 10-count punches, but a tilt-a-whirl was countered by Page with a sitout faceplant.
-
Members of Rita's loyalty program who use the Rita’s Ice app will get double loyalty punches with a purchase of the treat.
Verb
-
The boy smacks him in the mouth and then immediately starts crying.
-
An attack rears its ugly head, and the security team smacks it down.
Cite this Entry
“Thumps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thumps. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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