thump

1 of 2

verb

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
3
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 himThe 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

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
Birgitte huffed and went inside, her feet thumping heavily. Thomas Korsgaard, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024 But a day after getting thumped, 5-1, by the Kings, the last-place team in the Metropolitan Division stormed out of the gates in the third period, scoring three again to close its last Golden State trip of the season with a topsy-turvy 7-4 victory. Josh Gross, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024 End of an era: Arizona The Wildcats thumped Oregon Saturday in their final home game as a member of the Pac-12. Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024 They were thumped by both Brazil and Colombia, but the manner of the defeat against Puerto Rico was perhaps the most disappointing. Neel Shelat, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 The Gulls thumped the third-place Wranglers in back-to-back games last weekend in Calgary, winning 5-0 and 7-4. Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Feb. 2024 Haltom thumped by Highland Park Haltom struggled to stay competitive with Highland Park, losing 64-19 on Tuesday at the Arlington ISD Athletics Center. Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Feb. 2024 Southlake Carroll thumps El Paso Americas Southlake Carroll (30-5) and the Jordan sisters are rolling into the Class 6A regional quarterfinals. Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Feb. 2024 Chewing on his mouthguard … thumping his fist on his chest ... waving his arms to rile up the crowd ... jawing with opposing players … gesturing to fans … arguing with officials … high stepping, arms flailing, into huddles. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Feb. 2024
Noun
The sonic ‘boom’ could become a ‘soft thump’ NASA’s goal in developing the X-59 is to reduce the sonic boom — the thunder clap that resonates far and wide when an aircraft crosses the sound barrier. Monica Rodman, Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2024 The thump of a bird hitting a window is an awful sound. Rita Pelczar, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Jan. 2024 Over a deeply danceable house thump, Nourished by Time’s Marcus Brown croons his hook with the confidence of an ’80s R&B lothario. Pitchfork, 4 Dec. 2023 The opening 30 seconds of the four-minute track pulse with chanting, the crackle of snares, the thump of bass drums and the thick roar of horns. Jonah Valdez, Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2023 Surrounded by the detritus of a Thanksgiving dinner, the woman was loading the dishwasher when a loud thump thundered through the house. Lisa Sanders, M.d., New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 At low volumes, sound was uninspiring (true of many wireless speakers), but add a bit of volume and the results are much better, with nice bass thump, solid vocals, crisp high notes and a good amount of detail. Brad Moon, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024 His mother pounded her hand against her heart once, producing a thump that could be heard around the emptying courtroom as Bankman-Fried was led out. WIRED, 3 Nov. 2023 South Beach Boxing To the thump of the bass, three students pound their fists and slam their feet into their personal 150-pound boxing bag. By Chloe Herring, Brooke Henderson and Samantha J. Gross, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thump.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of thump was in 1548

Dictionary Entries Near thump

Cite this Entry

“Thump.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thump. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on thump

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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