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
Bolstering that pair — or, even better, the second pair, and bumping down rookie Axel Sandin-Pellikka to the third — would go a long way toward solidifying the blue line.
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Max Bultman, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
The notice also says the positions involved aren’t tied to a union, so bumping rights don’t apply.
—Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Jan. 2026
That might mean placing a small part into a car door and feeling the click, or sensing a rubber seal just barely bumping against the frame.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 29 Dec. 2025
Aston refreshed the Vantage sports car last May, bumping its mighty AMG V-8’s output to 656 hp.
—Robb Report Contributors, Robb Report, 26 Dec. 2025
After bumping into each other a couple of more times, the pair began dating — and twenty years later, Turner and Parsons share a connection that transcends traditional forms of communication.
—Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 22 Dec. 2025
John posted in a Reddit thread about his encounter on Saturday with the suspect after bumping into him in a bathroom inside the Barus and Holley building at Brown.
—Jay Marques, NBC news, 20 Dec. 2025
Choosing What to Freeze One tip to keep in mind is to only freeze decor items that guests won’t mind accidentally bumping into, just in case your ice cubes melt earlier than planned.
—Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Dec. 2025
Following the rankings release, BYU made several posts on social media torching the committee for bumping Miami over the Cougars after not playing in the ACC championship.
—Jordan Sigler, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bumping
Verb
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One woman carried a flag for Palestine, while a man banging a cowbell hung a flag of communist Cuba on his backpack.—
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Gamers have turned to walkthroughs and hints for years, but usually after banging their own heads against difficult challenges, and hence learning something in the process.—
Verb
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Once stationary, deactivate all lights except the hazard flashers, engage the emergency brake, and release the brake pedal to ensure your tail lights are not illuminated, reducing the risk of other drivers colliding with your stationary vehicle.—
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After colliding with Sanchez’s vehicle, the driver allegedly continued to elude police and struck a recreational vehicle parked on private property.—
Verb
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Bystander video footage that has since gone viral captured a masked federal agent fire multiple shots into Good's vehicle, which then drove up the street before slamming into the back of another car.—
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Convenience store owners are slamming the proposal as restrictive and unnecessary.—
Verb
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As Hodges stood there, scared and vulnerable, the man grabbed his baton and bashed him on the head with it, rupturing his lip and smashing his skull.—
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The man accused of smashing windows on Vice President JD Vance's home with a hammer is facing separate prosecutions in state and federal court.—
Verb
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Her vehicle accelerated down the road, crashing into parked cars nearby.—
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The Honda traveled another several feet before crashing into another car.—
Verb
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The right words can open doors the heart’s been knocking on for a while.—
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Once the buzz starts, fringe brands come knocking.—
Verb
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Noem again described the incident as an act of domestic terrorism and said there has been a rise in vehicle-ramming attacks against federal officers nationwide in recent weeks.—
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Notably, the assessment also discusses the concern about the use of vehicle ramming in attacks, like the one that occurred in New Orleans on January 1, 2025, killing 14 people.—
Verb
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The 49ers went three and out on their next two possessions and were unsuccessful on throws outside the numbers after hitting the middle of the field with three completions on the scoring drive.—
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After hitting just 4 of 30 threes against the Pacers, Miami opened 4 for 4 from distance, shot 8 for 16 on threes in the first half and finished 17 for 32.—
Cite this Entry
“Bumping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bumping. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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