chest-thumping

noun

chest-thump·​ing ˈches(t)-ˌthəm-piŋ How to pronounce chest-thumping (audio)
: conduct or expression marked by pompous or arrogant self-assertion
political chest-thumping

Examples of chest-thumping in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol used Monday's release of the IEA's Global Energy Review to defend his agency and engage in a bit of chest-thumping about the strength of the IEA's work. Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 25 Mar. 2025 The chest-thumping celebrations in the White House and the antics of its pet-project DOGE intersected to rile up Democrats, who have been trying to defend all corners of the federal cogs. Philip Elliott, TIME, 14 Mar. 2025 Its economic position is parlous, its demographic situation is miserable and its military capacities have atrophied, and most of the chest-thumping about a revival of European power is empty talk and fantasy politics. Ross Douthat, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2025 Harris’ fortunes improved dramatically following Trump’s six-hour rally at Madison Square Garden, a chest-thumping extravaganza that the bettors reckoned would antagonize female voters on the fence. Chris Morris, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2024 Matthew Rhys, in his brief moments, gives George Carlin a chest-thumping, confrontational machismo. Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2024 An eighth-inning throwing error from right-hander Blake Treinen allowed the Diamondbacks to tie the score and former Dodger Joc Pederson hit a chest-thumping home run in the ninth to give Arizona a 5-4 lead. Doug Padilla, Orange County Register, 2 July 2024 Asian countries sometimes recoil at the American tendency to frame its support for democracy in chest-thumping, even messianic terms. Michael Green, Foreign Affairs, 23 Jan. 2024 Located beneath a tangle of freeway overpasses, the park reverberated with chest-thumping music and speeches amplified extra loud to drown out the roar of overhead traffic. Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of chest-thumping was in 1948

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Cite this Entry

“Chest-thumping.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chest-thumping. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.

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