as in extremely
to a great degree
wrote several thumping big books on World War II
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in pounding
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in slapping
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
thumped the desk with his hand as he delivered his speech
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in licking
to strike repeatedly
playfully knocked his younger brother down and began to thump him with a foam bat
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of thumping
Mark Carey, New York Times, 29 May 2026
The aim wasn’t to make the chatbot Bible-thumping or pious.
—Chris Stokel-Walker, Scientific American, 26 May 2026
Minnesota's 6-1 thumping of its Central Division rival in Game 1 sets up the possibility Monday night to go up 2-0 in a playoff series for the first time in 15 postseason appearances over its 25-season history.
—CBS News, 19 Apr. 2026
The thumping, upbeat dance-pop track was produced and co-written with Zhone, and sees Lovato celebrating how much her low-rise jeans are turning someone on.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2026
His preferred genre was hardstyle—frantic thumping remixes of pop songs by the likes of Katy Perry and Taylor Swift.
—Sam Kriss, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Through this lens, Slater’s downfall at DOJ is less an ideological thumping than a mundane drama of personality and personnel fights.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 14 Feb. 2026
Then the dam broke didn't celebrate after their thumping of Canada ended their preliminary round undefeated.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
Six different players scored in a 7-0 thumping of a surging Needham group — with three goals coming from the third line.
—Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 23 Jan. 2026
Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 29 May 2026
Vocals sound crisp and defined, but the mids in the track, including the synth melody and the thumping electronic beat, come across slightly compressed and flat.
—Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 28 May 2026
His expansive sonic palette includes soaring anthems, tender ballads, and hard-driving dance tracks with a focus on thumping bass and earworm melodies.
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 26 May 2026
The Angels’ third straight thumping by the Dodgers, a 10-1 victory on Sunday afternoon, completing a sweep by a margin of 31-3, was also their third straight sellout of the weekend and ninth in 21 home games, for a team that is now 16-31.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 18 May 2026
In the last seconds, West Ham’s Declan Rice, an elite English midfielder who would go on to sign a record-breaking contract a year later with Arsenal for £105 million, tied the match with a thumping shot that exploded into the Kidderminster goal.
—Literary Hub, 18 May 2026
There was no bass thumping on Saturday, no one standing around having a catch and doing minimal work.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 9 May 2026
Her witty lyrics told stories about situations that most anyone could relate to – namely, money and love – blended with up-tempo, thumping beats.
—Margena A. Christian, The Conversation, 7 May 2026
Then, Metric’s peak came on 2009’s Fantasies, which paired needling electronics with thumping drum programming; both it and its follow-up, Synthetica, hit the top 10 on the Canadian albums chart and went platinum in Canada.
—Ethan Beck, Pitchfork, 4 May 2026
Noun
Milan’s 4-0 thumping of Barcelona in 1994 was anomalous compared with the rest of their European campaign that season, but their defensive foundations were strong — with half of their six group games finishing 0-0.
—Mark Carey, New York Times, 29 May 2026
The aim wasn’t to make the chatbot Bible-thumping or pious.
—Chris Stokel-Walker, Scientific American, 26 May 2026
Minnesota's 6-1 thumping of its Central Division rival in Game 1 sets up the possibility Monday night to go up 2-0 in a playoff series for the first time in 15 postseason appearances over its 25-season history.
—CBS News, 19 Apr. 2026
The thumping, upbeat dance-pop track was produced and co-written with Zhone, and sees Lovato celebrating how much her low-rise jeans are turning someone on.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2026
His preferred genre was hardstyle—frantic thumping remixes of pop songs by the likes of Katy Perry and Taylor Swift.
—Sam Kriss, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Through this lens, Slater’s downfall at DOJ is less an ideological thumping than a mundane drama of personality and personnel fights.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 14 Feb. 2026
Then the dam broke didn't celebrate after their thumping of Canada ended their preliminary round undefeated.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
Six different players scored in a 7-0 thumping of a surging Needham group — with three goals coming from the third line.
—Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 23 Jan. 2026
Verb
Kvaratskhelia’s shot was a knife thumping a message into the wall; this PSG side is a whole new force with the Georgian as its apex.
—Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 29 May 2026
Vocals sound crisp and defined, but the mids in the track, including the synth melody and the thumping electronic beat, come across slightly compressed and flat.
—Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 28 May 2026
His expansive sonic palette includes soaring anthems, tender ballads, and hard-driving dance tracks with a focus on thumping bass and earworm melodies.
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 26 May 2026
The Angels’ third straight thumping by the Dodgers, a 10-1 victory on Sunday afternoon, completing a sweep by a margin of 31-3, was also their third straight sellout of the weekend and ninth in 21 home games, for a team that is now 16-31.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 18 May 2026
In the last seconds, West Ham’s Declan Rice, an elite English midfielder who would go on to sign a record-breaking contract a year later with Arsenal for £105 million, tied the match with a thumping shot that exploded into the Kidderminster goal.
—Literary Hub, 18 May 2026
There was no bass thumping on Saturday, no one standing around having a catch and doing minimal work.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 9 May 2026
Her witty lyrics told stories about situations that most anyone could relate to – namely, money and love – blended with up-tempo, thumping beats.
—Margena A. Christian, The Conversation, 7 May 2026
Then, Metric’s peak came on 2009’s Fantasies, which paired needling electronics with thumping drum programming; both it and its follow-up, Synthetica, hit the top 10 on the Canadian albums chart and went platinum in Canada.
—Ethan Beck, Pitchfork, 4 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thumping
Adverb
-
Canfield, as proven by her work in Stereophonic, is extremely able at playing a character with a pristine, almost porcelain surface and roiling depths.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
5 June 2026
-
This has been extremely traumatic for both of us, especially Ashley.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
5 June 2026
Noun
-
Another popular belief is that the pounding of the raindrops on the ground mimics the sound of moles hunting for food, and the worms flee to escape being on the mole’s menu.—
Joan Morris,
Mercury News,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Russia’s relentless pounding of urban areas behind the front line following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago has killed thousands of civilians.—
Serra Yedikardes,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Everton’s hopes of securing a first win at Old Trafford since 2013 seemed over when midfielder Idrissa Gueye was sent off in the 13th minute for slapping team-mate Michael Keane.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
-
Video from the incident shows Shields slapping Baumgardner's hand to punctuate a heated exchange.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
Even small exposures—such as licking pollen off fur or drinking water from a vase containing lilies—can be toxic.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
15 May 2026
-
Vietnamese-style sweet-and-spicy chicken wings are a hot, finger-licking mess.—
Brock Keeling,
Oc Register,
13 May 2026
Adverb
-
When Gary Vernon began riding mountain bikes in Arkansas almost 40 years ago, there was very little infrastructure intended for riders without deep experience—or a devil-may-care attitude.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 June 2026
-
But that, believe it or not, isn't very big for here.—
John Ramos,
CBS News,
7 June 2026
Noun
-
Thursday’s 118-91 thrashing, though, invited more than a Game 7.—
Joel Lorenzi,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
-
The Fever, perhaps more terribly potent with each passing day, is a two-hour spiral into the thrashing, slowly awakening soul of a Good Middle-Class Liberal.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
In Game 5 of the 2021 NLCS, Taylor had a game for the ages, smacking three home runs against the Atlanta Braves to help stave off elimination (for at least one more day).—
Dan Freedman,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
-
Chicago rookie Munetaka Murakami became the first player in major league history to homer in the first game of eight straight series, smacking a solo shot off Emerson Hancock (3-1) in the first.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
Putin is lashing out by intensifying assaults on civilian targets, especially in the capital city of Kyiv.—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
-
Goldschmidt, lashing through the unhittable delivery, just stood in dismay.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Thumping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thumping. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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