thumping

thumping — adjective

IPA/ˈθʌm.pɪŋ/
KK[θˈʌmpɪŋ]IPA/ˈθʌm.pɪŋ/
  • thumpingpositive
  • more thumpingcomparative
  • most thumpingsuperlative

1. so large, strong, or important that it immediately gets people's attention

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

so large, strong, or important that it immediately gets people's attention

Example

The party won a thumping majority in the city council election.

thumping majority (much larger than expected)

After one teacher praised it online, the book became a thumping success.

thumping success (very strong result)

Common collocations
  • thumping majority
  • thumping success
  • thumping fine
  • thumping sum
Synonyms
  • huge

    broader and more neutral; not as informal or emphatic

  • massive

    stronger in size; less often used for results or victories

  • resounding

    mainly used for wins or defeats, not physical size

Antonyms
  • small

    plain opposite for size or amount

  • minor

    opposite when the point is importance rather than size

Grammar Patterns

thumping + noun

Usage Note

Most often placed before nouns such as majority, success, win, fine, or sum. It adds strong emphasis and often suggests the size or importance was striking, not just slightly above normal.

2. describing a headache that hurts in repeated heavy beats

2.adjectiveC1
Definition

describing a headache that hurts in repeated heavy beats

Example

Gita woke with a thumping headache after the noisy overnight flight.

thumping headache (pain felt in beats)

After the exam, Owen sat in the dark kitchen with a thumping headache.

Common collocations
  • thumping headache
Synonyms
  • pounding

    very close in meaning; common in everyday speech

  • throbbing

    focuses even more clearly on the rhythmic beat

  • splitting

    stresses severity, not the pulsing pattern

Antonyms
  • mild

    suggests the pain is not strong

  • dull

    steady and less sharply beating

Grammar Patterns

thumping + headache

Usage Note

Almost always used with headache and points to pain that seems to beat or pound. It is more specific than a general bad headache because it highlights the repeated pulsing feeling.

thumping — adverb

IPA/ˈθʌmpɪŋ/
KK[θˈʌmpɪŋ]IPA/ˈθʌmpɪŋ/

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

For this sense, thumping is an informal word for something strikingly large or important, and it often carries a tone of surprise. Huge is the broad everyday choice for size, while massive sounds heavier and more physical. Resounding fits wins, defeats, or successes, where the result is clear and impressive, but it does not usually describe money or objects. Hefty often suggests weight, amount, or cost, especially when something feels burdensome. Compare: a thumping majority sounds emphatic and lively, a huge crowd simply sounds very large, a resounding victory stresses how decisively someone won, and a hefty fine suggests a large amount that hurts to pay.

thumping ↗huge ↗massive ↗resoundinghefty ↗

Etymology

English

Built from the English verb thump, which imitates a heavy dull beat or blow, plus the ending -ing. The idea of repeated heavy beats explains the headache sense. From there, informal British English extended the word to mean strikingly large or emphatically strong.

First known use

1576

1576, in the meaning defined above Adverb