1
as in thud
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
he gave the ball a hard thwack with the bat and sent it deep into the outfield
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in clap
a loud explosive sound
even from the top of the bleachers we could hear the loud thwack of the ball being hit
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in to slap
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
thwacked the growling dog on the nose with a rolled-up newspaper
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of thwack
Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 9 Aug. 2025
His fast, athletic swing, grimacing expressions, large hands, and the audible thwack of ball-on-club distinguished him.
—Tim Corlett, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025
Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 31 July 2025
Fans all over the world can track every shot of every player — including balls thwacked on the driving range.
—Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for thwack
Noun
The boom and thwack of basketball and football rather than electric guitars and the basic chord progressions of the average Green Day song.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 9 Aug. 2025
His fast, athletic swing, grimacing expressions, large hands, and the audible thwack of ball-on-club distinguished him.
—Tim Corlett, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025
Verb
Look down and there’s another scene: America’s power players – rich guys humbled by the task of thwacking a 1.62-ounce sphere from one spot to another.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 31 July 2025
Fans all over the world can track every shot of every player — including balls thwacked on the driving range.
—Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for thwack
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thwack
Noun
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Another day, as Mom loads the children into the car, Jeremy tosses a basketball against the house, again and again, his passive aggression registering through the ball’s unyielding thuds and his own frozen gaze.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
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The call, which the filing says was made within two minutes of the thuds, was to an employee of the company that owned the development where Okland was hosting the open house.—
Karen Cortes,
NBC news,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Slow golf clap for Peking One getting the total violations down to 66 for Tuesday’s re-inspection.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
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At one point, Woods tightly shuts his eyes while having to stack his fists, clap, and count.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In 2024, President Biden slapped China with 100 percent tariffs on its electric vehicles, or EVs.—
Seth Doane,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
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The extra base mattered when Ramos, 2-for-12 in the Philadelphia series and the first game against the Orioles, slapped a sinker to bring home Ramos.—
Jerry McDonald,
Mercury News,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Moments later, a bass thump sounded in the distance.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
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The experimental jet, part of NASA’s Quesst mission, is designed to fly faster than the speed of sound while producing only a soft sonic thump instead of a disruptive boom.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Sonic booms sound like loud, thunderous bangs and occur when an aircraft or spacecraft flies overhead faster than the speed of sound.—
Tom Costello,
NBC news,
10 Apr. 2026
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During a Tuesday, April 7 appearance on Theo Von's This Past Weekend podcast, the 26-year-old country star spoke about her classic look, featuring shaggy, curly brown bangs.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But that came with a whole different kind of pressure, one that didn’t feed into Hurley’s psyche as the chronic Dom Quixote in search of another windmill to smack around.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
6 Apr. 2026
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During that time, the moon will appear mostly dark, which will give the astronauts a chance to observe the sun’s corona and look for flashes of light from rocky objects smacking into the moon.—
Denise Chow,
NBC news,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The development marks a blow to Washington’s support for Orban’s reelection and comes after Magyar’s Tisza party was viewed as the favorite to win in the April 12 election, holding a 10-point lead over the ruling Fidesz party, according to Politico’s polling analysis.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Apr. 2026
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Freiburg and Switzerland midfielder Johan Manzambi received a blow to his knee late in the game and needed support to walk off the field afterward.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
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On Illinois Environmental Lobby Day, hundreds gathered in Springfield to push action on three environmental bills to protect wetlands, ban single-use plastics and safeguard against energy and water strains caused by the data center boom.—
Christiana Freitag,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
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This evolution expanded to the mind-body connection at places like the Esalen Institute and through the Western yoga boom, integrating mindfulness into the fitness lexicon.—
Markos Kounalakis,
Mercury News,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Thwack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thwack. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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