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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Then, the film falls with a thud, never to rise again.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
13 June 2025
-
One struck a police cruiser with a thud, prompting a big cheer.—
Grace Toohey,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2025
Verb
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With two outs and a runner on in the fourth, Tyler Fitzgerald smacked a fastball from Cabrera to left field.—
Steve Gorten,
Miami Herald,
1 June 2025
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Crawford got ahold of an Alcala fastball, sending it off the scoreboard ribbon in right field and erasing a lead that the Twins had been protecting since the second inning when Wallner, in his first major league at-bat since April 15, smacked a two-run home run.—
Betsy Helfand,
Twin Cities,
1 June 2025
Noun
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Khan feared that delaying his departure beyond the deadline might have resulted in his wife and children being hauled off to a police station along with him, which would have been a blow to his family’s dignity.—
Elena Becatoros,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2025
-
The strikes were also a major blow to Iran’s chain of command, killing the nation’s top generals.—
Martín González Gómez,
New York Times,
13 June 2025
Verb
-
Lightning hits the United States approximately 25 million times annually.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
7 June 2025
-
After the Dodgers opted to intentionally walk Juan Soto to put runners on first and second with one out in the eighth inning, Alonso hit a single.—
Will Sammon,
New York Times,
6 June 2025
Noun
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The Cardinals have enough right-handed thump (especially with Herrera) to utilize Burleson at his strength.—
Katie Woo,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
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Literal flames surrounded the glow, both repelling and drawing you in more, followed by two loud, disorienting thumps.—
Christopher Rosa,
Glamour,
16 May 2025
Verb
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Her response was always to whack him with her purse.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
2 May 2025
-
Shohei Ohtani retook sole possession of the major league lead in long balls by whacking his 17th of the season.—
Jack Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
20 May 2025
Noun
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Some trepidation, some laughs, a slap, some vulnerability, a funeral, a revealing email, a lawsuit, an enormously successful comedy special, a roast, and so much more — as the three detail in the video recap, above.—
Gerrad Hall,
EW.com,
10 Apr. 2025
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Not finishing the story is a real slap in the face to all the loyal fans who did stick around.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
Verb
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Michael McKenzie McCallum was born Dec. 7, 1956, in Kingston, Jamaica, and began boxing as a teenager, racking up as many as 250 amateur bouts before turning pro in 1981.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2025
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Past and present residents include Oracle founder Larry Ellison, boxing promotor Don King, self-help guru Tony Robbins, and TV presenter Sean Hannity.—
Tori Latham,
Robb Report,
1 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wham.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wham. Accessed 20 Jun. 2025.
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