thud

[thuhd] /θʌd/
noun
1.
a dull sound, as of a heavy blow or fall.
2.
a blow causing such a sound.
verb (used without object), thudded, thudding.
3.
to strike or fall with a dull sound of heavy impact.
Origin
1505-15; imitative; compare Middle English thudden, Old English thyddan to strike, press
Related forms
thuddingly, adverb
Examples from the web for thud
  • The hissing and crackling behind me, the explosive thud as each fresh tree burst into flame, left little time for reflection.
  • On the ground, the others heard three shots-not shotgun blasts, but the distinctive crack-thud of a rifle.
  • Many seconds later came the sound, which varied from a dull thud to a sharp crack.
  • As she prepared to leave for work, she heard a thud.
  • The salad, topped with walnuts and a mustard vinaigrette, lands with a thud and disappears in a whisper.
  • Every now and again through the night there was a thud or an explosion.
  • And when they did arrive, those big, meaty wings landed with a thud.
  • They've been landing with a thud, but remakes are crowding the film season.
  • The first indication of an earthquake is often a sharp thud, signaling the arrival of compressional waves.
  • Nearby residents of the area may feel a slight tremor, and may hear a muffled thud during the blasting.
British Dictionary definitions for thud

thud

/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
verb thuds, thudding, thudded
3.
to make or cause to make such a sound
Word Origin
Old English thyddan to strike; related to thoddettan to beat, perhaps of imitative origin
Word Origin and History for thud
v.

Old English þyddan "to strike, thrust," of imitative origin. Sense of "hit with a dull sound" first recorded 1796. The noun is attested from 1510s.

thud in Technology


1. Yet another metasyntactic variable (see foo). It is reported that at CMU from the mid-1970s the canonical series of these was "foo", "bar", "thud", "blat".
2. Rare term for the hash character, "#" (ASCII 35). See ASCII for other synonyms.
[Jargon File]