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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wham
Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 28 Oct. 2025
There’s an understood language of action that marries really close-up, sharp inserts, the propulsion of rapid editing, wham-bam sound effects, and visual carnage to create excitement.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 16 Aug. 2025
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
SI.com, 21 June 2019
Noun
TreVeyon Henderson covered 12 yards on a wham run, then 18 more on a misdirection toss where fullback Jack Westover and right guard Mike Onwenu presented false keys that indicated an inside run while Henderson zipped outside.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 28 Oct. 2025
There’s an understood language of action that marries really close-up, sharp inserts, the propulsion of rapid editing, wham-bam sound effects, and visual carnage to create excitement.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 16 Aug. 2025
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
-
Sidney Crosby was silent, Evgeni Malkin’s misplay led to a goal and Erik Karlsson was responsible for two other goals against as the Penguins saw their six-game winning streak end with a thud in a 3-2 setback against the Ottawa Senators on Monday at PPG Paints Arena.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
-
At about two this morning, the familiar howl of air-raid sirens woke me in the center of Kyiv, followed by the low thuds of anti-aircraft cannons attempting to shoot down Russian drones.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But tens of thousands of films are made each year, and quite a few of them break the rules, defy conventional narrative expectations and smack us deep in our souls.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Shepard attached the head of a 6-iron golf club to his sample collecting tool and was recorded smacking a couple golf balls across the lunar landscape.—
Arizona Republic,
AZCentral.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Case considered a blow to Hong Kong media Lai founded Apple Daily in 1995, two years before Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule after 156 years as a British colony.—
Kanis Leung,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Liverpool were their own worst enemy as their hopes of Champions League qualification suffered another blow.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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On Thursday afternoon, the elderly driver first hit a bicyclist, then continued for about a block before crashing her 2023 Mercedes Benz C class into the bakery section of the grocery store, trapping multiple people beneath her car, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
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Nvidia now expects its total sales to hit new records in 2026, projecting around $500 billion in revenue.—
Rosa de Acosta,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Pitchers and catchers report This week, Albernaz gets a glimpse of his pitching staff and catchers, before the thump of an offensive lineup joins the workouts.—
Adam Thompson,
CBS News,
10 Feb. 2026
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For what felt like an eternity — but was really 20 minutes — the whole place was enveloped in an eerie silence, the only sound being the steady thump of techno-pop playing through the loudspeakers.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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When players from the United States and Czechia whacked their sticks on the ice in unison during warmups, the sound rattled out like a shot.—
The Sports Desk,
NBC news,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Walker is making $20 million this season and whacked a team-leading 27 home runs in 2025.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Let’s go with the speedy Maloney, who may not have a home run in her career but is arguably the college game’s premier slap hitter.—
Thomas Jones,
Austin American Statesman,
6 Feb. 2026
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After faking a slap shot, Kucherov had sent a pass down to Guentzel.—
Fluto Shinzawa,
New York Times,
2 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But boxing out hasn't really been that important.—
Matt Byrne,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Sports have a rich history in Puerto Rico, from boxing to baseball — but with the exception of Super Bowl Sunday, American football doesn’t typically reach us.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wham.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wham. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
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