bumping

verb

present participle of bump
as in banging
to come into usually forceful contact with something that police officer bumped into me and should have apologized

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 bumping Against this stripped down but still bumping backdrop, Christmas and Crack’s loose, witty braggadocio shines. — Brendan Hay, SPIN, 24 Aug. 2026 In June, Luna hopped clumsily from one branch to another, bumping Sandy off her perch and sending her to a branch below. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2026 Fears that the good times might be over slashed 15% from the share price and since then the shares have been bumping along the basement of a fall of about 35%. — Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026 That leaves operators with very little room to keep bumping prices. — Wyles Daniel, jsonline.com, 5 Aug. 2026 Traveling down conveyor belts, bumping around on baggage carts and in cargo holds, suitcases quickly pick up scuffs that can be hard to remove. — Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 27 July 2026 And for everyone in the F1 paddock, there is now additional clarity on plans for the second half of the season heading into the summer break, while bumping the calendar back up to a provisional 23 races. — Luke Smith, New York Times, 26 July 2026 This can sometimes work against you, though, since bumping the front of the laptop can register as an input. — John Loeffler, PC Magazine, 20 July 2026 Pets and other animals accidentally start hundreds of home fires each year, often by knocking over candles, tipping space heaters or bumping stove knobs. — Lauren Paige Richeson, USA Today, 15 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bumping
  1. banging
  2. colliding
  3. slamming
  4. smashing
  5. crashing
  6. knocking
  7. ramming
  8. hitting
Verb
  • Fast-forward five centuries later to modern-day Seattle, and Liz is forever banging her head hearing her husband's persistent little cough.
    — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Your plumber can also make sure pipes are well secured so the banging stops.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of banging
Verb
  • During court on Eyssallenne's preliminary hearing on Tuesday, prosecutors shared jarring dash camera video of the crash, which shows the boy speeding through an intersection before colliding with a car and getting thrown into the air.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Livestream footage shows the blue pickup truck surrounded by ICE vehicles after colliding with immigration agents and smashing into a concrete barrier on the side of I-55 next to Exit 290.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of colliding
Verb
  • Meanwhile, Talarico is barnstorming the state, slamming Republicans mostly on kitchen table issues like stubborn inflation and the price of gas that has skyrocketed due to Trump’s war with Iran.
    — Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • There was little time for anyone to flee as flash floods decimated villages, slamming into houses, roads, bridges and power plants.
    — Megan De Mar, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of slamming
Verb
  • Bland said officers were dispatched after a 911 caller reported that Garcia had been walking down the street with a baseball bat, smashing car windows.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Nvidia guided for 70% revenue growth in fiscal-year 2028, smashing estimates of 40%.
    — Benzinga, Freep.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of smashing
Verb
  • Experts said it was most likely caused by a partial glacier collapse that sent tons of ice and rock crashing down into the valley below, setting off a powerful landslide.
    — Jennifer Jett, NBC news, 27 Aug. 2026
  • But Maddy can’t run away forever, and her past comes crashing into her new Italian life in the most chaotic way imaginable.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of crashing
Verb
  • And the defense module can neutralize them via electronics-frying HPM emissions, knocking satellites out without creating a cloud of space debris.
    — Mike Wall, Space.com, 25 Aug. 2026
  • For Lynn Parsons, knocking on a stranger’s door once made the difference between getting home and watching her car get towed away.
    — Razak Diallo, Baltimore Sun, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of knocking
Verb
  • The drones rip through the hallways scanning for a threat before disorienting a suspect using flashing lights and subduing them using pepper balls or by ramming into their body, the company says.
    — Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Momota has been seen running around with a cone over his head and ramming it into his mother, according to the AP.
    — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of ramming
Verb
  • Cook will be remembered for making the iPhone feel essential to everything from buying a coffee to listening to music, hitting the gym or paying a credit card bill.
    — Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Crow-Armstrong’s 38 blasts are tied with Kyle Schwarber (2019) for second-most by a left-handed-hitting Cub.
    — Andy Martinez, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of hitting

Browse Nearby Words

bumpers
bumping
bumping into
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bumping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bumping. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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