thump
Americannoun
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a blow with something thick and heavy, producing a dull sound; a heavy knock.
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the sound made by or as if by such a blow.
verb (used with object)
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to strike or beat with something thick and heavy, so as to produce a dull sound; pound.
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(of an object) to strike against (something) heavily and noisily.
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Informal. to thrash severely.
verb (used without object)
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to strike, beat, or fall heavily, with a dull sound.
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to walk with heavy steps; pound.
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to palpitate or beat violently, as the heart.
noun
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the sound of a heavy solid body hitting or pounding a comparatively soft surface
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a heavy blow with the hand
he gave me a thump on the back
verb
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(tr) to strike or beat heavily; pound
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(intr) to throb, beat, or pound violently
his heart thumped with excitement
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has thumpedperfect 3rd person singular
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have thumpedperfect
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am thumpingprogressive 1st person singular
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is thumpingprogressive 3rd person singular
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has been thumpingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been thumpingperfect progressive
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are thumpingprogressive
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thumpingparticiple
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thumpssingular 3rd person
Past
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had thumpedperfect
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had been thumpingperfect progressive
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was thumpingprogressive singular
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thumpedparticiple
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thumpedsimple
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were thumpingprogressive plural
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing thump
Common Five-letter Words for Wordle, List 5
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Shiloh
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Neighborhood Odes
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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.
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
"It feels like a thump when it happens. I had one recently, in February. It's a bit scary, but it works. I'm on beta-blocker tablets too to help keep my heart in the right rhythm."
From BBC • May 31, 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
Something about the scent made her close the door hurriedly, her heart beating hard enough to thump against her ribs.
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
