wham

[hwam, wam]

See more synonyms for wham on Thesaurus.com

noun

a loud sound produced by an explosion or sharp impact: the wham of a pile driver.
a forcible impact.

interjection

(used as an exclamation suggestive of a loud slam, blow, or the like).

verb (used with or without object), whammed, wham·ming.

to hit or make a forcible impact, especially one producing a loud sound: The boat whammed into the dock. He whammed the door shut.

adverb

Also whammo. abruptly; with startling suddenness: The car ran wham up against the building.

Origin of wham

First recorded in 1730–40; imitative

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for wham

blow, smash, crash, knock, bang, slam, strike, whack, whammy

Examples from the Web for wham

Contemporary Examples of wham

One day you reach down to pick up a bag, sleep in an awkward position, or fall on the street, and— WHAM— your back gets injured.
Is Your Chair Killing You? The Consequences of Comfort
Daniel E. Lieberman
October 14, 2013
Sure, the standard carols and tracks by the likes of the Beach Boys, Wham!
Twelve Christmas Song Fails: John Travolta, Justin Bieber & More (VIDEO)
Kevin Fallon
December 10, 2012
There’s Muslim-baiting imagery borrowed from 24 and an absurd ‘80s nostalgia sing-along that would make the boys from Wham!
The Top 10 Weirdest Campaign Ads
John Avlon
August 16, 2010
Her pregnancy was heralded in the Sun with the headline “Wham Bam Sam Cam.”
Move Over, Michelle
Olivia Cole
May 12, 2010

Historical Examples of wham

But considere also quod she in wham is blisfulnesse enhabite.
Chaucer's Translation of Boethius's 'De Consolatione Philosophiae'
Geoffrey Chaucer
Why he used to spell “who” wha, and “have” hae, and “whom” wham!
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 93., October 22, 1887
Various
I stepped out between acts for a breath of fresh air, and wham, a sack over the head and here I am.
The Hell Ship
Raymond Alfred Palmer
There was a sudden catastrophic whooshing roar and, wham, a tree took flame for roots.
A Feast of Demons
William Morrison
In a jiffy, I'd be going slippety-sizzle over the edge of the eaves and land with a wham at Poetry's feet.
Shenanigans at Sugar Creek
Paul Hutchens

British Dictionary definitions for wham

wham

noun

a forceful blow or impact or the sound produced by such a blow or impact

interjection

an exclamation imitative of this sound

verb whams, whamming or whammed

to strike or cause to strike with great force

Word Origin for wham

C20: of imitative origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for wham

"a heavy blow," 1923, of echoic origin.