thump

1 of 2

verb

ˈthəmp 

thumped; thumping; thumps

transitive verb

1

: to strike or beat with or as if with something thick or heavy so as to cause a dull sound

2

: pound, knock

3

: whip, thrash

4

: to produce (music) mechanically or in a mechanical manner

—usually used with out

thumped out a tune on the piano

intransitive verb

1

a

: to inflict a thump

b

: to make or move with a thumping sound

2

: to make a vigorous endorsement

got a couple of … senators to thump for him

—The New York Herald Tribune

thumper noun

thump

2 of 2

noun

: a blow or knock with or as if with something blunt or heavy

also : the sound made by such a blow

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
• thwack
• 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
• thwack
• wallop
• welt
• whack
• wham
• whop
• whap

Examples of thump in a Sentence

Verb

The boat thumped against the side of the pier.

thumped the desk with his hand as he delivered his speech

Noun

The ball landed with a thump.

gave her boyfriend a thump against the side of his head whenever he said something obnoxious

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

After an opening night thumping from Gonzaga, this Baylor outfit is building some momentum, besting Arkansas by five points and then dominating two lesser opponents. —Steven Louis Goldstein, The Athletic, 21 Nov. 2024

Nebraska thumped Wisconsin 44-25, the Huskers’ first win in this series since 2012. —Mitch Sherman, The Athletic, 24 Nov. 2024

Noun

The White Sox have a major need for power hitting as Jose Abreu, Eloy Jimenez and Yoan Moncada are gone and Andrew Vaughn appears to have misplaced his thump. —Phil Rogers, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024

Ariel remembered telling Maricela to hurry and then feeling a whoosh and hearing a thump behind him. —Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, 24 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

imitative

First Known Use

Verb

1548, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1552, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

thump

verb

ˈthəmp

1

: to strike or beat with something thick or heavy so as to cause a dull sound

2

: to beat heavily : pound

thump noun