as in thud
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
gave the TV a good wham with her fist, and suddenly the picture came back on
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in to smack
Related Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wham
SI.com, 21 June 2019
Tom Mullen, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2025
Bryan Ferry, Brian Eno and company made their wham-bam-glam debut on ‘Roxy Music’ 50 years ago.
—Jill Krajewski, SPIN, 8 June 2022
Perhaps my overall disappointment stems from this pilot stiffness, but the more likely culprit is the standard brashness of American reality television, which is less cinema vérité and more wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am.
—Robyn Bahr, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Feb. 2020
But the movie, for all its retrograde politics and wham-bam machismo, can also be slick, silly fun — a giddy exercise in freewheeling nihilism, played to the hilt.
—Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 23 Jan. 2020
The movie comes at you with a quick, wham-bam style that feels like a nod to the source material, a DC Vertigo comic-book series by Ollie Masters and Ming Doyle.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Aug. 2019
Noun
Goalscorer Asamoah Gyan took the resulting penalty, only to wham it off the top of the bar.
—SI.com, 21 June 2019
Verb
Easy drinking 100% Merlot with 14% alcohol with flavors that include dark licorice, cinnamon and nutmeg and a wham of a finish.
—Tom Mullen, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2025
Bryan Ferry, Brian Eno and company made their wham-bam-glam debut on ‘Roxy Music’ 50 years ago.
—Jill Krajewski, SPIN, 8 June 2022
Perhaps my overall disappointment stems from this pilot stiffness, but the more likely culprit is the standard brashness of American reality television, which is less cinema vérité and more wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am.
—Robyn Bahr, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Feb. 2020
But the movie, for all its retrograde politics and wham-bam machismo, can also be slick, silly fun — a giddy exercise in freewheeling nihilism, played to the hilt.
—Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 23 Jan. 2020
The movie comes at you with a quick, wham-bam style that feels like a nod to the source material, a DC Vertigo comic-book series by Ollie Masters and Ming Doyle.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Aug. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wham
Noun
-
In its new stage form—with a book by Lisa Loomer and Nell Benjamin and music and lyrics by Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez—those gaps of time make no difference to the force with which the looming presence of ICE in the life of its characters lands with a cruel thud in the chest.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
28 Apr. 2025
-
The other shoe dropped with an unsettling thud recently when White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt openly gay-bashed in defense of her controversial boss.—
Louis Balsamo,
Baltimore Sun,
25 June 2025
Verb
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Williams, once an endorsement queen, wore a logo-free black dress and white visor and played uncomplicated tennis, smacking nine aces and attacking at the first strike.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
23 July 2025
-
If so, Denver has a solid duo set to fly around and smack some dudes over the middle of the field.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
16 July 2025
Noun
-
Smith shoved the gun in the guy’s gut, took the blow, then left.—
John J. Lennon,
Rolling Stone,
19 July 2025
-
The title bout bore out as a chess match, as the ISL school traded blows with one of the top MIAA teams from the South Shore.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
19 July 2025
Verb
-
The floods that hit the Hill Country nearly three weeks ago killed dozens of young girls at Camp Mystic, many of whose families live in the Houston region.—
Bayliss Wagner,
Austin American Statesman,
25 July 2025
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More: Bourbon, other U.S. spirits could soon be hit with retaliatory EU tariffs.—
Olivia Evans,
The Courier-Journal,
25 July 2025
Noun
-
Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson give this team just enough thump to be dangerous.—
Tony Blengino,
Forbes.com,
23 July 2025
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The team pulled off a shocking blockbuster by landing franchise slugger Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox, immediately filling its need for some left-handed thump in the batting order.—
Peter Chawaga,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 June 2025
Verb
-
Jim Wood whacked away vegetation in 2000 on a maze-like trail in Placer County nearly reaching his wits end.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
6 July 2025
-
Agustín Ramírez then whacked a two-run homer off Twins starter David Festa 425 feet to left center.—
Steve Gorten,
Miami Herald,
3 July 2025
Noun
-
So this isn’t a slap at the spending aspect of CUT.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
-
So the defense went out of its way to present witnesses who could corroborate Ventura Fine’s striking allegations of abuse. Of the slaps, punches and most of all the kicks delivered to the bodies of young women.—
Marco della Cava,
USA Today,
3 July 2025
Verb
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When the vehicle slowed for a group of kids, Rivera boxed him in.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
8 July 2025
-
Just days after boxing Jake Paul in the main event of a match held at Anaheim’s Honda Center, former world champion Julio César Chávez Jr. has been arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
3 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wham.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wham. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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