Definition of thump in English:

thump

verb

[with object]

1Hit or strike heavily, especially with the fist or a blunt implement.
‘Holman thumped the desk with his hand’
no object ‘she thumped on the cottage door’
- ‘At this point I thump my fist down onto my desk and toss my hair defiantly.’
- ‘His fist thumps the wooden table - bare except for a pen and a notepad for writing orders - for emphasis.’
- ‘He gesticulated and swore at the young couple, holding up his fist and thumping the vehicle, and mouthing to the passenger to get out of the car.’
- ‘When Henman took the third he thumped his fist to his chest.’
- ‘‘Let go, I'm not one of those girls,’ she protested, thumping her balled fists against my chest.’
- ‘If you go to a world championship boxing match, you know, one of the boxers will come in inevitably thumping his fists in time with the drumbeat.’
- ‘He thumped his fist on the metal floor and grinned weakly.’
- ‘Ramirez thumped his fist on the table; candelabra leapt into the air, fruit spilled from the baskets and soup spilt onto the dark table.’
- ‘‘We did it,’ screamed Ferns from the starting block, thumping a fist to his heart.’
- ‘General Musharraf was seen thumping his fists vigorously at the only wall in the room.’
- ‘‘There's a Left-of-centre viewpoint across the BBC's output,’ he begins, thumping the desk in his South Bank office.’
- ‘Generally a guy called Martand would start thumping the desk and everyone would follow suit.’
- ‘You walked in there, you thumped a desk and they wobbled.’
- ‘Fellow MEPs hurled abuse at Mr Berlusconi and thumped their desks in the European Parliament Chamber in dismay.’
- ‘There's something oh, so satisfying about thumping a punch bag just as hard as you can.’
- ‘You don't need to worry about having a couple of big blokes thumping your door and giving you a hard time.’
- ‘He kept on following us down the street, repeating the same thing, jumping up at me waving his money, thumping my arms with his little fists.’
- ‘He laughed and thumped the table in appreciation, then twisted his fist in front of his nose, miming a snout.’
- ‘‘You didn't have to use one of these damn things,’ he said, thumping the monitor on the desk before him.’
- ‘When I tried to stop him he hit me in the face and knocked my glasses flying, then he thumped me in the chest.’
hit, strike, beat, batter, pound, attack, assault, knock, rap, smack, thwack, slap, pummel, punch, rain blows on, belabour, hammer, cudgel, thrash, bang, drub, welt, cuff, crack, buffet, box someone's ears
View synonyms
1. 1.1with adverbial of direction Move forcefully or with a heavy deadened sound.
  with object ‘she picked up the kettle then thumped it down again’
  no object ‘Philip thumped down on the settee’
  ‘When he pulled the trigger his bullet thumped into the log and the crow flew lazily away unscathed.’
  ‘You could hear the sound of its blades thumping through the air-con vents.’
  ‘Last night, between about 7 pm and 8 pm there were thumping sounds every few seconds.’
  ‘Yet with heavy weapons whining and thumping in the hills around us, nothing seems more distant than the prospect of a hearty meal.’
  ‘The sky rattled loudly and the noise sounded like rain clouds thumping together, creating a shaft movement of energy.’
  ‘Looking over my clothes once, fast, I nodded and walked on, heavy but functional boots thumping against the soil.’
  ‘Once again, there was the sound of footsteps thumping up the stairs.’
  ‘Immediately she heard the sound of shoes thumping from the other side of the house.’
  ‘Something heavy thumped into my shoulder and I cried out as I was sent sprawling to the floor, thudding to the ground.’
  ‘Once she reached her two story home, her ears were assaulted with the sounds of feet thumping around upstairs.’
  ‘Alanis thumped the heavy metal knocker against the door.’
  ‘Voices still chattered in the hallway, doors squeaked open, slammed shut, feet thumped, tramped up and down the stairs.’
  ‘Arthur's daydreams were interrupted by what sounded like a fist thumping on wood in the far distance.’
  ‘The bullets whistled past Ash's head, thumping into nearby ships with a pock-twang noise.’
  ‘‘Shut up,’ Donal growled as he thumped the book closed and moved to stand in front of the table.’
  ‘The striker thumped the ball in the net before pulling off his shirt and celebrating having beaten Reynolds' record.’
  ‘And in the bathroom I'd have a field day, heavily thumping the loo seat down every time he left it up.’
  ‘Before she could step outside, her mother's powerful hand thumped the door shut.’
  ‘The young striker, on loan from Aston Villa, thumped the ball home.’
  ‘The cupboard door kept swinging open only to be thumped closed by Ivan, who had incorporated this gesture into the rhythm of the dance.’
  ‘Walter Del Rio often arrives early to thump divots out of the grass with a golf club.’
  ‘She weakly lifted her head and whined, her tail thumped once.’
2. 1.2no object (of a person's heart or pulse) beat or pulsate strongly, typically because of fear or excitement.
  ‘her heart thumped with fright’
  ‘Quietly I began to retreat down the stairs, my heart thumping wildly with fear for my life.’
  ‘All he heard was his own heart beat, thumping in his ears.’
  ‘When he spotted Shama coming towards him, dressed in a yellow floral-patterned sari, his heart thumped heavily with excitement.’
  ‘There they wait, hearts thumping and minds racing, for the signal to rush forward and do what Marines do best - fight forward and refuse to be defeated.’
  ‘I just stand there with a sheepish grin, my heart thumping like a foundry hammer.’
  ‘I move slightly and gasp, jumping backwards, heart thumping with shock and fright.’
  ‘A cold sweat ran over me, and my heart began thumping violently, almost painfully, in my chest.’
  ‘That was when my heart began thumping so hard, I could actually hear it.’
  ‘Instead of a city whose pulse thumps like a toothache, Hobart gives you swooping hills and stone warehouses, colonial, harbour-side cottages, and Salamanca Place's thriving street market.’
  ‘We surged forward, hearts thumping, ducking to avoid water bombs and grasping hands, until we were disgorged at an open green beneath the city walls.’
  ‘Spring is sprung, hormones are jumping, hearts are thumping and the seasonal cycle of attraction's in full swing once more.’
  ‘I was a shy schoolboy who was too shy to read in class without his heart thumping so loud that everybody could hear.’
  ‘The pounding was so bad that my brother could hear my heart thumping as we lay in bed at night.’
  ‘My heart thumped in my mouth as cyclists parted this sea of sweaty, screaming, sign-toting, picture-snapping fans.’
  ‘Her heart thumped and a cold clamminess filtered into every pore of her skin.’
  ‘My heart was thumping so loudly in my ears I thought it was going to explode.’
  ‘The subwoofer will also get a workout, as Jason's heart thumps harder than a Dr. Dre backbeat.’
  ‘The lyrics echo in my head, and my heart thumps harder as memories flash before my eyes.’
  ‘My heart thumps loudly and the gun feels slippery in my sweaty hands.’
  ‘My heart was still thumping; my head throbbing.’
  throb, pound, thud, hammer, pulsate, pulse, pump, palpitate, race, beat heavily, go pit-a-pat, pitter-patter, vibrate, drum
  View synonyms
3. 1.3thump something outPlay a tune enthusiastically but heavy-handedly.
  ‘the Band of the Royal Marines was thumping out a selection from Oklahoma’
  ‘Last time the Stereophonics were here, they were headlining Glasgow Green and thumping beery hits out over the heads of a huge celebratory crowd.’
  ‘I just grabbed that old banjo and started thumpin' on it - and thumped out a tune.’
  ‘The Soviet national anthem and the Moscow Festival song were thumped out by the band.’
2informal Defeat heavily.
with object and complement ‘Bristol thumped Rugby 35–13’
- ‘Firstly France, with their star fly-half back in harness, won revenge for their previous defeat, thumping Scotland by a whopping 61-0.’
- ‘Sir Clive Woodward's side were thumped 51-15 by Australia following back-to-back defeats to New Zealand.’
- ‘The magic of the cup is one thing, but should a team really qualify for Europe without defeating a single Premiership side and then being thumped in the final?’
- ‘The Aussies gave us a hiding in Sydney two weeks before and now we've thumped them at Ellis Park.’
- ‘Rovers started the season with a bang, thumping Wolves 5-1 on the opening day of the new campaign.’
- ‘After thumping Burnley 5-1 last Saturday, City moved two points clear at the top thanks to the Clarets fixture with Bradford falling foul of the elements.’
- ‘Haworth move into second place after thumping visitors Ingrow St John's by nine wickets.’
- ‘Champions Nestlé Rowntree continued their 100 per cent start to the season by thumping hosts Whitkirk Wanderers 5-0.’
- ‘FOREST FC took a step nearer to the York Sunday Afternoon League division two title by thumping bottom club Bay Horse 6-0.’

noun

1A dull, heavy blow with a person's fist or a blunt implement.
‘I felt a thump on my back’
- ‘By the time I left, the pressure of that bitterness had created a dull thump in my head.’
- ‘Just at that moment, several dull thumps hit against the carriage from outside; Evelyn drew back, a small gasp escaping her lips.’
- ‘As for watermelons, pick the ones minus dents or scratches and a light thump should yield a dull hollow sound.’
- ‘How can he claim damages when he has not only left the stable door open but has sent out the horse with a hefty good-luck thump on its backside?’
- ‘There was a single, hard thump against the door.’
- ‘The punch was vicious and and evoked yet another thump on his head.’
- ‘Applying increasing pressure on the brakes with 3,000 feet of runway to go, we felt a strong thump below the jet.’
blow, hit, punch, smack, thwack, slap, thrashing, bang, hiding, drubbing, lambasting, welt, cuff, box, crack
View synonyms
1. 1.1A heavy deadened sound.
  ‘the bag landed on the floor with a thump’
  mass noun ‘through the wall came the thump of rock music’
  ‘The recorder captured the sounds of loud thumps, crashes, shouts, and breaking glasses and plates.’
  ‘There is a muffled thump, and the sound of running footsteps.’
  ‘The image jitters, there is a thump as the sound comes on, and a haggard, hair-covered face fills the frame.’
  ‘A series of thumps echoed from above her head, but she could not get any light up in the rafters.’
  ‘A loud thump sounded from the hallway, quickly followed by another.’
  ‘The only audible sound was the thump of his steps against the solid floor.’
  ‘There was a tiny thump and perhaps what sounded like papers whishing around.’
  ‘It made a soft thump, which sounded much too loud in the dark and silent room.’
  ‘A loud thump sounded behind him and he turned it time to see someone sprint out the stable doors.’
  ‘As I was looking down at the chart, we heard a loud thump, then the sound of rushing wind.’
  ‘There was a distinct sound of thump followed by shuffling noise.’
  ‘From peasants splashing in the mud, to the thump of hammer and axe, to the sound of rain falling, the sound design is almost an entire film in itself.’
  ‘One very hot day while out walking, one of the fellows I was with flopped awkwardly to the ground and the sound of wet thumps filled my ears.’
  ‘Then suddenly two explosions rocked the water and the Kursk was down, settling with a dull thump on the sea floor.’
  ‘Two dull thumps came from behind him and he turned.’
  ‘There were two dull thumps as bodies fell to the ground.’
  ‘Opal stepped farther into the room, his boots making dull thumps across the rugged floor.’
  ‘The other just fell to the ground with a dull thump.’
  ‘I heard Dana drop her schoolbag down on the floor with a dull thump.’
  ‘She heard the dull thump of someone knocking weakly on the door.’
  thud, clunk, clonk, crash, smash, smack, bang, boom, thunder, wallop
  View synonyms
2. 1.2A strong heartbeat, especially one caused by fear or excitement.
  ‘Jane's heart gave an uncomfortable thump’
  ‘Feeling the thumps of fear in the fragile body, I lifted the tiny beast to the sand and watched it scamper away.’
  ‘In one particularly engaging scene a barrage of news reports on black ‘suspects’ is pasted over the quickening thump of a heartbeat.’
  ‘After four hours of climbing the near vertical mountain footpath, the headache had matured into a persistent thump with each heartbeat.’
  ‘There was that strange, high pitched tune playing somewhere beyond his right ear, accompanying the double thump of his heartbeat.’
  ‘As he pressed his head hard to the man's chest he could hear the thump, thump of a healthy heart beat.’
  ‘Patients may feel palpitations or a thump in the chest when a beat compensates for a prior missed beat.’
  ‘Every thump of his monstrous veins pounded his ear drums.’
  ‘At several points during our conversation, I simply couldn't hear over the deafening thump of my own pulse.’
  ‘The strong, even thump of her pulse against his skin reassured him.’
  ‘Her eyes wouldn't open and she heard the steady thump of her heart pound in her ears, signaling she was still alive.’
  ‘The odd thing was is that Candice was sure she could hear the thump of his heart against his chest.’
  ‘He was quiet, his heartbeat a slow and steady thump against my palm.’
  ‘Thump thump, she can definitely hear my heart.’

Origin

Mid 16th century imitative.

Pronunciation

thump

/θʌmp/

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