thwacking

verb

present participle of thwack
as in smacking
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner thwacked the growling dog on the nose with a rolled-up newspaper

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of thwacking Modern readers may take heart in the fact that there are many excellent critics thwacking through the slop—albeit with freelance machetes, on newfangled platforms. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 27 Apr. 2026 Max Weinberg sat at his set, thwacking his floor tom, while Lahav fiddled with his dials, stalked into the studio to unplug, replug, and then just physically move the microphone closer to the set, then to the side, and then farther away. — Peter Ames Carlin, Rolling Stone, 13 Aug. 2025 Club World Cup viewers may remember the South American receiving the ball, skipping past an opponent, and thwacking in a long-range goal against Urawa Reds in June. — Henry Flynn, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025 With three classes of accommodation on board, passengers can sit at the windows of vintage cabins paneled with polished cherrywood and draped with blush pink silks as the train rumbles through rubber and palm plantations, giant leaves thwacking the sides. — Monisha Rajesh, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Jan. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thwacking
  1. smacking
  2. slapping
  3. hitting
  4. knocking
  5. punching
  6. banging
  7. slamming
  8. whacking
Verb
  • But Varma and Shivam Dube (27) upped the ante in the final three overs by smacking 57 runs against Sufyan Moqim, Ayub and Ahmed Daniyal.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Carrington was ejected from the game in the first half after smacking Cunningham across the face during Cunningham's layup attempt.
    — Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of smacking
Verb
  • Iran has tried to push world energy prices higher with attacks on the region's oil shipping routes; the United States, in turn, has aimed to wreck Iran's economy by blockading its ports since June and slapping it with increasingly tough sanctions.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The officers walked over to the man and told him to place his hands behind his back, slapping him in cuffs in front of customers and coworkers.
    — Kate Payne, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of slapping
Verb
  • The national Democratic effort to defeat Collins kept going; now the party is spending millions on an ad hitting her for a ProPublica story about her links to a corrupt defense contractor.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Last year in Arizona, a motorcyclist was fatally injured after hitting a Waymo and being flung into the road.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of hitting
Verb
  • For the hearing impaired, select rooms feature visual fire alarms plus signals for telephone ringing and door knocking.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Political handicapping has a way of knocking people down a couple of notches.
    — Nathan Gonzales CQ-Roll Call, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of knocking
Verb
  • Bella chews him out for punching Angus in the face right before Angus’s big presentation, which Johnny knew about because they were supposed to throw a return supper for him, a dinner Johnny was supposed to cook.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Castro whips her head around and follows him, punching him in the back.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of punching
Verb
  • Kulich stood near the side of the net banging his stick on the ice, and Power found him with the perfect pass.
    — Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
  • The autistic girl had stopped hurting herself by banging her head on the floor when she was frustrated.
    — Joseph Shapiro, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of banging
Verb
  • Donalds’ speech ran the gamut of Republican campaign points, from slamming COVID lockdowns to border crossings.
    — Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026
  • On the same day, HHS senior adviser Calley Means doubled down on the claim, posting on X that Kennedy is doing so well that Democratic operatives are slamming the FDA for doing its job by conducting food recalls.
    — Stephanie Armour, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of slamming
Verb
  • There are frightening stories of swordfish charging boats, and even spearing their transoms and whacking propellers.
    — Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Yes, there were moments of humor, such as getting magic potions around the campfire at the end of each stage by whacking helpless little elves, but most of it was played straight, to great effect.
    — Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of whacking

Browse Nearby Words

thwacked
thwacking
thwacks
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Cite this Entry

“Thwacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thwacking. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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