wham 1 of 2

noun

ˈ(h)wam How to pronounce wham (audio)
Definition of whamnext
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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wham

2 of 2

verb

as in to smack

Related Words

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 wham
Noun
TreVeyon Henderson covered 12 yards on a wham run, then 18 more on a misdirection toss where fullback Jack Westover and right guard Mike Onwenu presented false keys that indicated an inside run while Henderson zipped outside. — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 28 Oct. 2025 There’s an understood language of action that marries really close-up, sharp inserts, the propulsion of rapid editing, wham-bam sound effects, and visual carnage to create excitement. — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 16 Aug. 2025 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 Chabon’s magnum opus is a gloriously fun, wham-pow novel of heroes, friendship, magic, the Golden Age of Comics, and sure, okay, Hitler. — Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 9 Apr. 2020 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
Verb
Goalscorer Asamoah Gyan took the resulting penalty, only to wham it off the top of the bar. — SI.com, 21 June 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wham
  1. thud
  2. smack
  3. blow
  4. hit
  5. thump
  6. whack
  7. slap
  8. box
Noun
  • As the Sixers absorbed punch after punch and refused to fold, reality returned with at least a whimper, if not a thud.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Less than a mile from Presnell’s apartment, the girl heard a thud.
    — Thomas Lake, AJC.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of thud
Verb
  • Eventually, Bird’s film — with a script co-written by Matthew Robbins — gets to the meat of the action when Venus’ extremely complicated life runs smack into Ray and his knack for sniffing out bad guys.
    — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 10 Oct. 2026
  • The Eagles also have been smacked with injuries and played without several key starters.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of smack
Noun
  • Just when Kansas City appeared to be building momentum toward a Sunday night comeback, kicker Harrison Butker missed his second attempt of the night, dealing another blow to the Chiefs’ hopes.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Rutgers starting quarterback Dylan Lonergan left after sustaining a blow to the head 6 minutes, 25 seconds into the first quarter and didn’t return.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of blow
Verb
  • Social media giant Meta was hit with a class action lawsuit in Australia on behalf of children and teenagers who allegedly suffered harm over the addictive design features and exposure to harmful content on its platforms Facebook and Instagram.
    — Chad de Guzman, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
  • For the past few years, Baba Stiltz has been hitting the open road with nothing but a guitar, a tape deck, and a few pedals.
    — Harry Thorfinn-George, Pitchfork, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of hit
Noun
  • But the knock on them has been the lack of thump in their lineup.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The brutalist thump of drummer Moe Tucker renders the showmen in Led Zeppelin and the Who irrelevant.
    — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of thump
Verb
  • When the game resumed, families in the stands celebrated each time a child managed to whack the ball.
    — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
  • But every season thus far — not only including but especially this one — has concluded as a perverse, whack, and certainly damning portrait of American war games in an era of steep imperial decline.
    — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of whack
Noun
  • The attack is not so much a matter of precision as enclosing an area—hopefully a space that the fly is within when her jaws slap shut.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2026
  • There has been no more satisfying slap in cinema this year than the one Erika lands on a smug German actor, leading to a wicked punchline that shouldn’t be spoiled.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of slap
Verb
  • Perhaps the most noteworthy sports figure to battle Parkinson’s was boxing great Muhammad Ali, who died in 2016.
    — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The pier-to-pier walk in Southern California’s South Bay was supported by boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard, celebrity TV host Brooke Burke, actor Nate Simon and baseball icons Chris Taylor, Kyle Karros and Jared Karros.
    — Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of box

Browse Nearby Words

whaling
wham
whammed
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Cite this Entry

“Wham.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wham. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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