thud
Americannoun
-
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
-
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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The Subtle Knife
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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 thud of a hammering Hulksmash rattles our seats; later, a cocked rifle is so crisp we perk up like a dog hearing the mailman.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
Many solid aerospace and defense earnings landed with a thud, with investors worried about the sector outlook amid rising energy prices.
From Barron's ● May 4, 2026
She never even got to clunk and thud her way through any farmhouses or laboratories like a bewigged bull in a china shop.
From Salon ● Mar. 8, 2026
One interview with talk-radio show “LBC” was interrupted when air defenses intercepted another Iranian attack with an audible thud.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 3, 2026
Neel put down the chair with a thud.
From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins
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
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
With grand banking halls based on those from Soane's building hidden off the corridor, occasional echoing thuds and bangs are the main reminder of the working nature of the building.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2025
They heard Pelicarnassus cry out in anger, and two massive thuds as the giant robot pelican suit stepped into the classroom, smashing desks everywhere.
From "Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody" by Patrick Ness
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
Webster was given out without the need for DRS after a nip-backer from Ngidi before Mulder thudded one into Head's off stump from round the wicket.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 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 thudded into the buck’s ribs just behind the shoulder.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
The propulsive groove on “Another Life” evokes a thudding drum break pulled from a dusty groove pressed in the early ’70s, as Ms. Howard sings forcefully, moving between a curling falsetto and a feral howl.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 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
But, equipped with a thudding backhand, Andreeva can redirect rallies at will, forcing opponents to go on the defensive, and has good anticipation of their next shot.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2025
He left his feet and fell forward, thudding, forehead against the ground.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
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