Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

thud

/ˈθʌd/ noun

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about thud at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

The sound of a dull impact.
A hard, dull impact.
A slower, dull impact with a wide surface area.

verb

To make the sound of a dull impact.

Origin

From Middle English thudden (“to strike with a weapon”), from Old English þyddan (“to strike, press, thrust”), from Proto-Germanic *þuddijaną, *þiudijaną (“to strike, thrust”), from Proto-Germanic *þūhaną, *þeuhaną (“to press”), from Proto-Indo-European *tūk- (“to beat”). Cognate with Old English þoddettan (“to strike, push, batter”), Old English þȳdan (“to strike, stab, thrust, press”), Old English þēowan (“to press”), Albanian thundër (“a hoof, talon, a shaft", figuratively, "oppression, torment”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word