as in thud
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
gave the TV a good wham with her fist, and suddenly the picture came back on
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in to smack
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wham
Tom Mullen, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2025
Bryan Ferry, Brian Eno and company made their wham-bam-glam debut on ‘Roxy Music’ 50 years ago.
—Jill Krajewski, SPIN, 8 June 2022
Perhaps my overall disappointment stems from this pilot stiffness, but the more likely culprit is the standard brashness of American reality television, which is less cinema vérité and more wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am.
—Robyn Bahr, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Feb. 2020
But the movie, for all its retrograde politics and wham-bam machismo, can also be slick, silly fun — a giddy exercise in freewheeling nihilism, played to the hilt.
—Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 23 Jan. 2020
The movie comes at you with a quick, wham-bam style that feels like a nod to the source material, a DC Vertigo comic-book series by Ollie Masters and Ming Doyle.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Aug. 2019
SI.com, 21 June 2019
Noun
Easy drinking 100% Merlot with 14% alcohol with flavors that include dark licorice, cinnamon and nutmeg and a wham of a finish.
—Tom Mullen, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2025
Bryan Ferry, Brian Eno and company made their wham-bam-glam debut on ‘Roxy Music’ 50 years ago.
—Jill Krajewski, SPIN, 8 June 2022
Perhaps my overall disappointment stems from this pilot stiffness, but the more likely culprit is the standard brashness of American reality television, which is less cinema vérité and more wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am.
—Robyn Bahr, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Feb. 2020
But the movie, for all its retrograde politics and wham-bam machismo, can also be slick, silly fun — a giddy exercise in freewheeling nihilism, played to the hilt.
—Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 23 Jan. 2020
The movie comes at you with a quick, wham-bam style that feels like a nod to the source material, a DC Vertigo comic-book series by Ollie Masters and Ming Doyle.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Aug. 2019
Verb
Goalscorer Asamoah Gyan took the resulting penalty, only to wham it off the top of the bar.
—SI.com, 21 June 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wham
Noun
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The blustery winds muffled the clank of wheels and thud of hooves.—
Andrew Lawler,
Smithsonian Magazine,
2 Apr. 2025
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But a trawler passed behind them, the roar of its engine drowning out the dull thuds of their rocks.—
Prianka Srinivasan Matthew Abbott,
New York Times,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Then with two outs, Amed Rosario smacked an RBI single.—
Steve Gorten,
Miami Herald,
13 Apr. 2025
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Once the screen comes, Dort smacked his inside leg into Hayes’ outside one.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2025
Noun
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What’s 42 to 43? Into a black place of great blows from the little mountains from the sea came.—
John Berryman,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2025
-
With a blow of his whistle, all sorts of words applied: pandemonium, euphoria, mania.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton hit the game-winning shot, crossing over Antetokounmpo and driving to the basket for a right-handed layup with 1.3 seconds left.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
2 May 2025
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By comparison, humans in lab studies tend to be more precise and hit right ahead of the beat regardless of tempo.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
1 May 2025
Noun
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My heart thumps, in sync with the pitter-patter of feet on the ground.—
David Oliver,
USA Today,
24 Apr. 2025
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Outlook Single Double Triple Homer Texas moved quickly to bring in Pederson after trading Nathaniel Lowe, sacrificing a lot of fielding value but maintaining similar left-handed thump for the lineup.—
Tim Britton,
The Athletic,
21 Feb. 2025
Verb
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One day Dave whacked the laurel hedge down to sturdy stumps, like dinosaurs fossilized midstride.—
Murr Brewster,
Christian Science Monitor,
16 Apr. 2025
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Then, Crosby instinctively whacked at the puck and absolutely buried it top shelf.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Scott tried for a slap but Rhodes hit him with the Cross Rhodes.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
21 Apr. 2025
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Reports indicated that Scott's forceful slap across Rhodes's face resulted in a ruptured eardrum, an injury severe enough to necessitate Rhodes wearing an earplug during subsequent appearances.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Those agreements effectively boxed out Google's rivals, the DOJ said.—
Jaclyn Diaz,
NPR,
21 Apr. 2025
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His administration has said its tariffs would enable trade negotiations that would box out China, the world’s dominant manufacturer.—
Colleen Barry and Josh Boak,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wham.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wham. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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