thump

American  

[thuhmp] / θʌmp /

noun

thumps plural

1. a blow with something thick and heavy, producing a dull sound; a heavy knock.

2. the sound made by or as if by such a blow.

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verb (used with object)

thumps, present (3rd person singular) thumped, past participle, past thumping present participle

1. to strike or beat with something thick and heavy, so as to produce a dull sound; pound.

2. (of an object) to strike against (something) heavily and noisily.

3. Informal. to thrash severely.

verb (used without object)

thumps, present (3rd person singular) thumped, past participle, past thumping present participle

1. to strike, beat, or fall heavily, with a dull sound.

2. to walk with heavy steps; pound.

3. to palpitate or beat violently, as the heart.

thump British  

/ θʌmp /

noun

1. the sound of a heavy solid body hitting or pounding a comparatively soft surface

2. a heavy blow with the hand

   he gave me a thump on the back

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verb

1. (tr) to strike or beat heavily; pound

2. (intr) to throb, beat, or pound violently

   his heart thumped with excitement

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• thumper
  noun
• unthumped
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• thumps
  plural

Participles

• thumping
  present
• thumped
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• thump
  simple
• thumps
  simple
• have thumped
  perfect
• has thumped
  perfect
• am thumping
  progressive
• are thumping
  progressive
• is thumping
  progressive
• have been thumping
  perfect progressive
• has been thumping
  perfect progressive

Past

• thumped
  simple
• had thumped
  perfect
• was thumping
  progressive
• were thumping
  progressive
• had been thumping
  perfect progressive

Future

• will thump
  simple
• will have thumped
  perfect
• will be thumping
  progressive
• will have been thumping
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of thump

First recorded in 1530–40; imitative

Explanation

A thump is a hard, thudding sound, or an equally hard hit or blow, like the thump your older brother gives you when you embarrass him in front of his friends. If you drop your backpack full of books it'll make a thump as it hits the floor. And, if your friend starts to choke on his lemonade at lunch, you might want to give him a thump on the back. You can also thump enthusiastically on a drum. Thump is an imitative word, one that mimics the sound of hitting something heavily. It dates from the sixteenth century.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

thump thumps thumped thumping

During that stage, teams will directly measure the aircraft's supersonic flight signature to confirm that it is producing the quiet supersonic thump it was designed to generate.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 1, 2026

The lights go down and the orchestra weaves between the steady thump of his beats and vivid melodies, as shadow-like projections are beamed onto a huge circular curtain draped above him.

From BBC ● May 23, 2026

In the 2026 hellscape of sports betting and doom-scrolling, however, it’s the rare wholesome one: It shuns phones, keeps the mind sharp and gives grandma a prime opportunity to thump the young ’uns.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026

Moments later, a bass thump sounded in the distance.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2026

I hit the backboard with a thump, and J.W. was all over me.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

Alcaraz turns around and thumps Sinner at the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 14, 2026

Israeli director Nadav Lapid’s audacious and dazzling “Yes” thumps with dance music and the sound of people bouncing off the walls to distract themselves from pain.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 24, 2025

During the 31-song album, some of it lands like the fun drama of "Down Bad," which thumps against Antonoff's synthesizer.

From Salon ● Apr. 19, 2024

You can see your breath, hear terrifying thumps and feel the vibrations of each impact as the wrestlers play out their well-practised moves.

From BBC ● Dec. 16, 2023

Harry felt two large thumps as Fred and George hit them; then Angelina’s, Alicia’s, and Katie’s voices, “We’ve won the Cup! We’ve won the Cup!”

From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling

And Yamal hasn’t found the net since Spain thumped Saudi Arabia 4-0 in its second game.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

"It feels like being thumped in the chest," says Prof Aneil Malhotra, sports cardiologist at the Institute of Sport, Manchester Metropolitan University.

From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026

The Angels thumped the Colorado Rockies 11-4, but one good night cannot change the trajectory of a miserable season.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026

Dutch midfielder Noa Lang scored a brace as Galatasaray thumped Juventus 5-2 in a pulsating contest in Istanbul on Tuesday in the first leg of a Champions League playoff.

From Barron's ● Feb. 17, 2026

My heart thumped as I opened the door.

From "The Rock and the River" by Kekla Magoon

The new model was flashy, black-light entertainment with thumping music, huge video screens, arcade games and claw machines, along with upscale food and drink at double or triple the prices of standard bowling-alley fare.

From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026

Last Friday at Espacio 1839 in Boyle Heights, visitors were greeted by the thumping bass of cumbia sonideras, earthy scent of leather trinkets and clothing racks featuring silky screen-printed soccer jerseys.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026

She could barely hear director David Frankel over the thumping music when he told her that he’d give her the part.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026

In a sea of thumping dance tracks and billowing ballads, the simplicity of Bandidos do Cante's performance really stands out.

From BBC ● May 8, 2026

The frantic thumping of several pairs of feet sounded from the upper level, along with the trumpeted cry of “A girl!”

From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack

Related Words

• thud