thud

American  

[thuhd] / θʌd /

noun

1. a dull sound, as of a heavy blow or fall.

2. a blow causing such a sound.

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verb (used without object)

thudded, thudding

1. to strike or fall with a dull sound of heavy impact.

thud British  

/ θʌd /

noun

1. a dull heavy sound

   the book fell to the ground with a thud

2. a blow or fall that causes such a sound

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verb

1. to make or cause to make such a sound

Other Word Forms

• thuddingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of thud

1505–15; imitative; compare Middle English thudden, Old English thyddan to strike, press

Explanation

To thud is to make the loud sound of something heavy hitting or falling. Tip your chair too far back and your body may thud against the floor. Throw an egg off a balcony onto the pavement below, and it will splat, but throw a heavy dumbbell off the same balcony and it will thud — you can call the sound it makes a thud as well. The verb originally meant "to strike, stab, or thrust," from the Old English imitative word þyddan, and the noun was used to mean "blast of wind" in the early sixteenth century.

Example Sentences

Every golfer knows the feeling: a solid swing, a hopeful flight, and then the soft thud as the ball disappears into a bunker.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

Some might call the stalemate and the passion and the thud and blunder compelling, but you have low expectations if that's the case.

From BBC • Mar. 8, 2026

She never even got to clunk and thud her way through any farmhouses or laboratories like a bewigged bull in a china shop.

From Salon • Mar. 8, 2026

This one feels like it probably sounded really funny and smart at the table read, but it landed with a thud for the audience because the premise was so muddled.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2026

I slipped my backpack off my back and it made a thud when it hit the floor.

From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks

Related Words

• bang
• thump