whump
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of whump
First recorded in 1925–30; imitative
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.
But what had that sound been, the whump?
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2025
“All cartoons rely on the unexpected twist, but Booth reveled in the haywire. There was always a joyous thump or a whump hovering around his work — often with a measure of vaudeville humor.”
From Washington Post ● Nov. 3, 2022
Suddenly, the canoe hurtled downward in the furrowed water, and there was an unexpected whump as we bottomed out.
From New York Times ● Nov. 12, 2015
The whump Donoghue experienced on hearing Felix Fritzl's story may have had something to do with the fact that her own son was four at the time.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 13, 2010
I closed the lid with a satisfying whump and did up the latches and straps.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
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.
