as in thump
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
the thud of his head against the cabinet door brought tears to his eyes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to bump
to come into usually forceful contact with something
the snowball thudded against the side of my car
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 thud
Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 18 Aug. 2025
Alas, the captive here also ended with a thud and a bloody mess on the pavement.
—Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 20 June 2025
Neo-soul lyrics call out a toxic man as a thudding baseline hits.
—Christine Terrisse, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for thud
Noun
Well, this jaded, old journalist remembers when the California boom of the late 1980s ended with a thud — a painful start to a recessionary decade.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 18 Aug. 2025
Alas, the captive here also ended with a thud and a bloody mess on the pavement.
—Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Verb
In lieu of wimpy melodramatics, Boone picks up the pace — the drums thudding along like the soundtrack to an aerobics-workout video — and the fun.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 20 June 2025
Neo-soul lyrics call out a toxic man as a thudding baseline hits.
—Christine Terrisse, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for thud
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thud
Noun
-
Bass-heavy tracks carry plenty of thump while vocals still sound crisp, and the companion app gives you real control over the EQ.—
Shubham Yewale,
PC Magazine,
11 Sep. 2025
-
And the thump, thump, thumping of her brother’s hands pounding a heavy bag.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
30 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The job cuts are permanent, and employees will not have bumping rights to other positions.—
Chase Jordan,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Few love it as much when leveling the playing field means bumping them down a few notches.—
John Koetsier,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The 1987 stock market crash was a further blow to the small company and an additional strain on its finances.—
Cameron Kaiser,
ArsTechnica,
12 Sep. 2025
-
And the latest in the long line of big-name boxers to come to blows will be Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford who fight against one another on Saturday.—
Ben Morse,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Maximo Acosta banged a leadoff double off the center-field wall.—
Alex Krutchik,
Miami Herald,
6 Sep. 2025
-
From his head-banging guitar solo to his crisp, impressively precise vocals, Thomas delivered male R&B showmanship reminiscent of Maxwell or D’Angelo.—
Kyle Denis,
Billboard,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Together, the group dives into everything from Travis Kelce's slap incident to bold predictions for Monday Night Football.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
-
That’s a nice surprise for those of us who are tired of pretending that rocking chairs and flickering flashlights were ever scary — but a brutal slap in the face for anyone still taking these con-artist ghost busters seriously.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The occurrences grew more aggressive over time, with the Smurls' 75-pound German shepherd getting slammed into a wall and Jack getting attacked while praying.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Sabalenka shook her head and slammed her arms by her side.—
Howard Fendrich,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The band’s foundation was built on the joint songwriting of Davies and Hodgson, who sang lead on most of Supertramp’s hits, but their partnership was beginning to dissolve by the early 1980s.—
David Chiu,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Jalen Ramsey’s big hit on fourth down, separating the ball from Jets star receiver Garrett Wilson to seal the game.—
Mike DeFabo,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The stubborn myth that Jews are too safe to be targets is colliding with a painful new reality.—
Andrew Weinstein,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Yet the morning's hopeful energy quickly collided with harsh reality.—
Sonal Nain,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Thud.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thud. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share