Thud

Thud

Noun & Verb · /θʌd/ · a heavy dull sound of impact; to strike with such a sound

Definition

A thud is the low, heavy sound made when something solid strikes a surface — a book dropped on a floor, a fist against a table, a body falling. It carries weight and finality. As a verb, to thud means to make that sound or to move with it: his footsteps thudded down the corridor, her heart thudded in her chest. The word is onomatopoeic — say it aloud and you can feel the impact in the consonants themselves.

Origin

From Old English þyddan, meaning to thrust or to push. Related to the Old Norse þjóta, to rush or to roar. The word has stayed close to its physical, sensory roots for over a thousand years — always about force making contact, always about the sound that follows. Thud is part of a family of English impact words — thump, bang, clunk, crash — each of which carries its own distinct weight and register.