thud

The thud of a hammering Hulksmash rattles our seats; later, a cocked rifle is so crisp we perk up like a dog hearing the mailman.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

Many solid aerospace and defense earnings landed with a thud, with investors worried about the sector outlook amid rising energy prices.

From Barron's ● May 4, 2026

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

The discrepancy makes for a uniquely unnerving experience, especially in a theater with a decent sound system, where every unexpected thud can feel like it’s creeping in closer and closer.

From Salon ● Mar. 15, 2026

Suddenly, Clara heard a tremendous thud, and something, or someone, landed on the grass above.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

He has since returned to training at his Tokyo stable, where the bone-crunching thuds of wrestlers colliding echoes around the walls six mornings a week.

From Barron's ● Feb. 4, 2026

Tom has reached an age when he can no longer get around the house without an accompaniment of creaks and groans and thuds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 26, 2025

Headbangers, hipsters, all languages, all ages — every demographic on Earth appears to adore his music — and so do we from the opening thuds that introduce us to his echoey, body-moving beats.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 28, 2025

Mid-way through the audio, a loud explosion thuds in the background.

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2023

We could hear the rhythmic thuds of the students practicing their petit jetés and changements.

From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day

Sixty-six-year-old Jose Pena hid in the bushes as two Ecuadoran military helicopters thudded overhead.

From Barron's ● Mar. 20, 2026

As Mesidor and Bain have thudded their way through the first two rounds of the playoff, Miami’s pass rush has reduced some of college football’s most explosive offenses to little more than firecrackers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 7, 2026

The theater literally thudded with the sound of high heels as attendees flooded out while Mohammed offered his own housekeeping notes, including a directive to “vacate in height order” in case of emergency.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2024

Blackburn began on the front foot but Duane Holmes fluffed the first big chance at the other end, before Arnur Sigurdsson's side-foot volley from a precise Tyrhys Dolan cross thudded against the Preston bar.

From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2023

Theresa swallowed again, so hard her heart thudded, or that’s how it seemed, everything oddly linked.

From "Typical American" by Gish Jen

Williams had no problem approaching the devastating service speed of her glory days, thudding down one unreturnable delivery that reached 120mph late in the first set.

From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026

Local Facebook groups were flooded with complaints from Inuit hunters annoyed that the thudding helicopters scared away the reindeer from traditional hunting grounds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 10, 2026

In “1984,” Big Brother survives by wielding absolute power; freedom is flattened by the thudding steps of a goose-stepping soldier and by language that makes those steps seem necessary.

From Salon ● Nov. 8, 2025

This isn’t the kind of puzzle thriller in which all the elements click into place with a thudding literalism that compliments an attentive eye.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2025

Once in the yard, she was acutely aware of the thudding.

From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson