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.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of 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
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.—
Nick Paumgarten,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
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.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Anderson slaps his hit down the right field line, just fair.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Apr. 2026
-
At the end of the night, during the bows, Butler slaps the guys playing her two antagonists gently on their butts, a gesture that would have jarred in most stagings but fully in keeping with the inclusive, humanistic vibe of this production.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
At one point A’zion licks the digitally de-aged Mick Jagger’s face.—
Ethan Millman,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 2026
-
For good measure, Marty Supreme actress Odessa A’zion literally licks the face of the Stones frontman, who in real life is 82 years old.—
SPIN Staff,
SPIN,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
This incident also led to Eckert and Hellberg nearly coming to blows before being separated by the fourth official.—
Dan Sheldon,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
-
Israel and Hezbollah have continued to exchange blows, mainly in southern Lebanon, since a nominal ceasefire took hold last month.—
Compiled byDemocrat-Gazette stafffrom wire reports,
Arkansas Online,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
He wasn’t invited to the combine this winter and drew knocks from some evaluators for his lack of length and his inconsistency as a pass rusher.—
Dan Wiederer,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
-
Temperatures will be near 81 degrees on Monday, and then turn cooler on Tuesday through Thursday after a cold front knocks them back into the mid- to upper 60s.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Her silver nail polish—reminiscent of the shade worn by Lou Reed (from one New York legend to another) in footage shown during Todd Haynes’s documentary The Velvet Underground—sparkles as Gaga pounds the keys of her piano throughout the film.—
Maxwell Adler,
Vanity Fair,
15 May 2026
-
That game enabled the younger brother to mentally shift from a pitcher prone to walks to a pitcher who now consistently pounds the zone.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
In the lightweight division, Salahdine Parnasse (23-2) defeated Kenneth Cross (17-5) in the first round after landing a flurry of punches and dominating him early.—
Eduard Cauich,
Los Angeles Times,
17 May 2026
-
There were more hugs after the fight between the two than punches landed, and, in total, far more time clocked during those hugs than the fight itself.—
Sean Joseph OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
The boy smacks him in the mouth and then immediately starts crying.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Apr. 2026
-
An attack rears its ugly head, and the security team smacks it down.—
Neil J. Rubenking,
PC Magazine,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Thumps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thumps. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
