thud
Americannoun
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thuds
plural
-
a dull sound, as of a heavy blow or fall.
-
a blow causing such a sound.
verb (used without object)
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thuds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
thudded,
past participle, past
-
thudding
present participle
noun
-
a dull heavy sound
the book fell to the ground with a thud
-
a blow or fall that causes such a sound
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
thudsimple
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thudssimple
-
have thuddedperfect
-
has thuddedperfect
-
am thuddingprogressive
-
are thuddingprogressive
-
is thuddingprogressive
-
have been thuddingperfect progressive
-
has been thuddingperfect progressive
Past
-
thuddedsimple
-
had thuddedperfect
-
was thuddingprogressive
-
were thuddingprogressive
-
had been thuddingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of thud
1505–15; imitative; compare Middle English thudden, Old English thyddan to strike, press
Explanation
To thud is to make the loud sound of something heavy hitting or falling. Tip your chair too far back and your body may thud against the floor. Throw an egg off a balcony onto the pavement below, and it will splat, but throw a heavy dumbbell off the same balcony and it will thud — you can call the sound it makes a thud as well. The verb originally meant "to strike, stab, or thrust," from the Old English imitative word þyddan, and the noun was used to mean "blast of wind" in the early sixteenth century.
Vocabulary lists containing thud
"The Pedestrian" by Ray Bradbury
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Shiloh
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The follow-up to the brilliant “Tattoo You” landed with a thud.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
Most auto industry first-quarter earnings landed with a thud.
From Barron's ● May 1, 2026
Drums thud behind him as supporters chant his name.
From BBC ● Apr. 20, 2026
Every golfer knows the feeling: a solid swing, a hopeful flight, and then the soft thud as the ball disappears into a bunker.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 4, 2026
Then suddenly she felt a little dizzy, like somebody had just whacked her on the side of the head: nervousness hitting her with a thud.
From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata
Likewise, the score by Tony Doogan leans too heavily on generic electronic thuds, the kind that segue into a commercial break cliffhanger and an ad for blood pressure medicine.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2026
"We've heard four or five additional thuds where something must have happened," said Henry.
From BBC ● Feb. 28, 2026
He has since returned to training at his Tokyo stable, where the bone-crunching thuds of wrestlers colliding echoes around the walls six mornings a week.
From Barron's ● Feb. 4, 2026
Tom has reached an age when he can no longer get around the house without an accompaniment of creaks and groans and thuds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 26, 2025
There was such terrific noise following Paganini’s show that at first no one noticed the persistent banging on the ceiling, dull thuds that came in short spurts before starting again.
From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser
Sixty-six-year-old Jose Pena hid in the bushes as two Ecuadoran military helicopters thudded overhead.
From Barron's ● Mar. 20, 2026
As Mesidor and Bain have thudded their way through the first two rounds of the playoff, Miami’s pass rush has reduced some of college football’s most explosive offenses to little more than firecrackers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 7, 2026
There were gasps from the crowd as the ball either thudded into a Glamorgan batter or the gloves of Kent keeper Steve Marsh.
From BBC ● Dec. 1, 2025
The inflation report thudded onto Wall Street along with a batch of other data painting a mixed picture of the economy.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 16, 2023
It skidded across the floor and thudded against the dresser.
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
A thudding kick drum and a mournful sax set up “I’ll Play the Fool” before a rubbery rumba beat and swing band take over.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
Williams had no problem approaching the devastating service speed of her glory days, thudding down one unreturnable delivery that reached 120mph late in the first set.
From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026
In “1984,” Big Brother survives by wielding absolute power; freedom is flattened by the thudding steps of a goose-stepping soldier and by language that makes those steps seem necessary.
From Salon ● Nov. 8, 2025
This isn’t the kind of puzzle thriller in which all the elements click into place with a thudding literalism that compliments an attentive eye.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2025
She could feel the rapid thudding of her heart as she spoke.
From "The Devil's Arithmetic" by Jane Yolen
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
