as in banging
to come into usually forceful contact with something
that police officer bumped into me and should have apologized
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Recent Examples of bumping
Some of the recent videos show the runners bumping into security guards and shoving past church staff, then leaving after being cornered and told to get off the property.
—
James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026
Gulutzan shook things up in the middle of Game 4, bumping Thomas Harley up to the top pairing alongside Heiskanen.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
The area Surrounded by a ripple of hills in a relatively unknown section of the Serengeti National Park, there’s little risk of bumping into another vehicle close to camp.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Apr. 2026
Here, the layers of the thin-film stack in the material are precisely measured so that unwanted reflections – which would normally waste energy – are cancelled out by the light waves bumping into each other, leaving more energy for the panel to collect.
—Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 24 Apr. 2026
Back-rower Abi Burton had to lock for the first time, 19-year-old back-rower Demelza Short debuted, and Emma Sing got a shot at fullback, bumping Ellie Kildunne to the wing.
—ABC News, 18 Apr. 2026
Kansas State transfer tight end Brayden Loftin played in 12 personnel looks with the first-team offense, mainly blocking, but bumping out to the slot, too.
—Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 14 Apr. 2026
In one video clip posted by BroBible sports editor Jorge Alonso, Fieri is seen shaking hands with Andrew Tate and bumping shoulders with him.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 14 Apr. 2026
Somewhere in a rotting log in Okinawa, two wingless roaches are guarding their nest together, bumping intruders with their butts.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2026
James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026
Gulutzan shook things up in the middle of Game 4, bumping Thomas Harley up to the top pairing alongside Heiskanen.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
The area Surrounded by a ripple of hills in a relatively unknown section of the Serengeti National Park, there’s little risk of bumping into another vehicle close to camp.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Apr. 2026
Here, the layers of the thin-film stack in the material are precisely measured so that unwanted reflections – which would normally waste energy – are cancelled out by the light waves bumping into each other, leaving more energy for the panel to collect.
—Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 24 Apr. 2026
Back-rower Abi Burton had to lock for the first time, 19-year-old back-rower Demelza Short debuted, and Emma Sing got a shot at fullback, bumping Ellie Kildunne to the wing.
—ABC News, 18 Apr. 2026
Kansas State transfer tight end Brayden Loftin played in 12 personnel looks with the first-team offense, mainly blocking, but bumping out to the slot, too.
—Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 14 Apr. 2026
In one video clip posted by BroBible sports editor Jorge Alonso, Fieri is seen shaking hands with Andrew Tate and bumping shoulders with him.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 14 Apr. 2026
Somewhere in a rotting log in Okinawa, two wingless roaches are guarding their nest together, bumping intruders with their butts.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bumping
Verb
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Jurors then heard sounds of banging and choking — and Athena screaming and crying, the Star-Telegram reports.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
27 Apr. 2026
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On the night he was arrested, Martinez confessed to shaking Heather and banging her head against a crib, but later recanted that confession.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Video of the crash taken by eyewitness Allie Cardoza, who was in a nearby vehicle at the time, shows the train colliding with the front of a black SUV.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
27 Apr. 2026
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The 22-year-old went down after colliding with Wolves’ Hugo Bueno while trying to keep the ball in play, and appeared in pain.—
Dan Kilpatrick,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar quickly responded on X, slamming his Ukrainian counterpart for conducting diplomacy on social media.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
28 Apr. 2026
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Trump’s remarks came hours after the first lady released a statement slamming Kimmel for the comment.—
Sydney Topf,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But as anyone who’s dropped a mug knows, ceramics are also brittle and prone to smashing.—
Caitlin Kennedy,
Scientific American,
25 Apr. 2026
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Police officers arrived at her Hollywood Hills home in Los Angeles and learned that the attackers had left the woman inside after allegedly smashing her jaw and choking her.—
Francie Ebert,
NBC news,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The substitute looks up and sends a shot crashing against the post from a tight angle.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
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There was a big crashing sound.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Iranians have been knocking around in the United States’ critical infrastructure for years.—
Sue Halpern,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
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Serve it at room temperature so the salad on top won't wilt (and the cooking is complete before the guests come knocking).—
Ashlyn Ware,
Midwest Living,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In the first shooting, Homeland Security officials accused a man of weaponizing his car and ramming a law enforcement vehicle in an attempt to flee.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
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Watson founded the global Sea Shepherd conservation movement in the 1970s and for decades won a fearsome reputation for ramming vessels and other aggressive tactics in confrontations on the high seas that repeatedly landed him in jail.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That passion to play every moment to the hilt, along with her powerful hitting stroke, that came with being a coach’s daughter.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
30 Apr. 2026
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Horner told a false story about hitting the little girl with his van and then strangling her in a panic, according to testimony of the case’s lead investigator, Texas Ranger Job Espinoza.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bumping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bumping. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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