Synonyms
Verb
- bang
- bash
- bat
- belt
- biff
- bludgeon
- bob
- bonk
- bop
- box
- bust
- clap
- clip
- clobber
- clock
- clout
- crack
- hammer
- hit
- knock
- nail
- paste
- pound
- punch
- rap
- slam
- slap
- slog
- slug
- smack
- smite
- sock
- strike
- swat
- swipe
- tag
- thump
- wallop
- whack
- whale
- zap
Noun
- bang
- bash
- bat
- beat
- belt
- biff
- blow
- bop
- box
- buffet
- bust
- chop
- clap
- clip
- clout
- crack
- cuff
- dab
- douse [British]
- fillip
- hack
- haymaker
- hit
- hook
- knock
- larrup [dialect]
- lash
- lick
- pelt
- pick
- plump
- poke
- pound
- punch
- rap
- slam
- slap
- slug
- smack
- smash
- sock
- spank
- stinger
- stripe
- stroke
- swat
- swipe
- switch
- thud
- thump
- wallop
- welt
- whack
- wham
- whop
- whap
Examples of thwack in a Sentence
Verb
A book fell off the shelf and thwacked me on the head.
thwacked the growling dog on the nose with a rolled-up newspaper
Noun
he gave the ball a hard thwack with the bat and sent it deep into the outfield
even from the top of the bleachers we could hear the loud thwack of the ball being hit
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
No more thwacking away at cold dough on your countertop.
—Shilpa Uskokovic, Bon Appétit, 8 Dec. 2023
The videos had been spliced into a mash-up and served to me on Instagram as a looping carousel of orange squares thwacking babies silly.
—Amanda Hess, New York Times, 25 Sep. 2023
The biggest barrier to recycling the rubber in the ball is the difficulty of removing the felt from the rubber core because of the tight glue designed to hold that cover on when it's thwacked by a racket.
—CBS News, 6 Sep. 2023
Sometimes, there’s just one kid in the class who needs to be thwacked for good measure.
—Time, 25 Aug. 2023
The lead staff member, a thin Ukrainian woman wearing a turban, offered to thwack people’s lat muscles with the branches—an Eastern European tradition that is said to move circulation and release toxins.
—Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 14 July 2023
But the constant fear of getting thwacked is too much.
—Shannon Larson, BostonGlobe.com, 7 July 2023
Another woman kept accidentally thwacking fellow showgoers with an enormous Vuitton bag shaped like an airplane.
—Rachel Tashjian, Washington Post, 21 June 2023
The hours before a baseball game have a languor to them: kids gawking on the edges of the field, big-leaguers thwacking batting-practice home runs.
—Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 12 June 2023
Noun
The movie’s silence is so loaded with the anxiety, obstinance, inchoate anger and desire for anonymity of the traumatized teenage sportswoman that the constant thwack of her racquet hitting the ball cuts through the tension like violent shocks.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 May 2024
And the thwack, the sound of the glove pummeling the boxing pad, supersedes the pain.
—Abby Ellin, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 May 2024
Tashi practically vibrates with each thwack of the ball.
—Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 26 Apr. 2024
Sharp sound work is another essential element, capturing every thwack of the ball with visceral force.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
The result is the jabs against the 44th President’s legacy-worthy legislation no longer land with the same thwack, crackling barely as a thud.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 2 Apr. 2024
The sound off the racquet of Ben Shelton’s flat serve is a thwack cranked to eleven.
—Gerald Marzorati, The New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2023
The main character is newly retired, hobbled by complications from hip replacement surgery, and trying to write his first novel while enduring the irritating thwack, thwack, thwack from his neighbor’s pickleball court.
—Beth Teitell, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Aug. 2023
Then, the methodical thwack of the receptionist’s pumps would sound down the long hallway as the girls swivelled towards her from their respective stations—pulling towels from the dryer, applying lipstick at the vanity, melting into the couch in a cloud of cigarettes and Pink Sugar perfume.
—Hazlitt, 12 July 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thwack.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near thwack
Cite this Entry
“Thwack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thwack. Accessed 10 Jun. 2024.
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