Thuds is the plural of thud—dull, heavy sounds made by impact, typically something solid hitting a surface without resonance or echo: We heard thuds from the apartment upstairs.
As a verb, thuds means makes such sounds: His heart thuds in his chest.
The word suggests weight and bluntness rather than sharpness or clarity.
1. impact — bang, Sudden loud noise; crash (Sudden violent impact); slam (Forceful impact or closure); smash (Break violently apart); collision · hit · strike · blow · knock · bump · jolt · wallop · punch · drop
2. sound — clunk, Dull, heavy sound; bang (Sudden loud noise); boom (Loud deep sound); plop (Soft dropping sound); whump · stomp · pound · beat · rumble · knock · rap · smack · clatter · plonk
3. heavy — ponderous, Awkwardly heavy or slow; lumbering (Moving heavily and awkwardly); leaden (Oppressively heavy or dull); weighty (Heavy or significant); plodding · clunky · elephantine · hulking · dense · solid · massive · cumbersome · clomping · stomping
4. heartbeat — pounding, Forceful repeated striking; racing (Speed competition sport); beating (Repeated striking or pulsing); pulse (Arterial blood throb); palpitation · thumping · drumming · hammering · heart · chest · adrenaline · anxiety · fear · excitement
Opposites
SOUND QUALITYthuds ≠ clangs Makes loud metallic sounds; rings · chimes · clinks · pings · tinkles
VOLUME/INTENSITYthuds ≠ whispers Speaks very quietly; taps · pats · rustles · murmurs · sighs
SOUND DURATION/DECAYthuds ≠ reverberates Reflects sound repeatedly; echoes · rings · resonates · hums · drones
Phrases
chest thump (Striking one's own sternum)
Family
thud, thump, thudding, thudded
- Familiarity
- Top 100,000
- Profile
- Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G