wham
[wˈæm] /ˈ(h)wam How to pronounce wham (audio)/ (ame, mw) · /wæm/ (bre, ipa) · [wˈæm] /wæm/ (ame, ipa)
wham — adverb
1. in a way that happens very suddenly and with great force, usually making a loud
in a way that happens very suddenly and with great force, usually making a loud noise.
Ayesha dropped the heavy suitcase wham onto the wooden hotel floor.
wham follows verb directly: verb + wham + preposition
Hassan kicked the old wooden door wham, and it flew open at once.
Feng's fist landed wham against the punching bag during training.
Heloísa threw the heavy book wham onto the desk and stormed out.
- with a bang
more literal sound focus; wham emphasizes sudden force as much as noise
- forcefully
neutral in register; wham carries a dramatic, onomatopoeic quality
用法筆記
This adverb always immediately follows the verb it modifies; it never appears before the verb.
wham — exclamation
1. the written form of the loud noise that happens when one solid thing hits anothe
the written form of the loud noise that happens when one solid thing hits another with great force.
Wham! Iker hit the baseball and it flew over the fence easily.
wham at start of sentence, followed by action clause
Mert closed the heavy book — wham! — and dust flew from the old pages.
wham inserted between dashes in narrative
Wham! The garage door fell shut right behind the reversing car.
Nora swung the bat and — wham! — the ball flew straight through the window.
用法筆記
Common in comic books and spoken storytelling where the speaker wants to make the action vivid and dramatic.
2. used to describe something that takes you by surprise because it happens so fast
used to describe something that takes you by surprise because it happens so fast and without any warning.
Apinya walked down the quiet street, and wham — a motorbike appeared in front of her.
narrative pattern: [normal setup], and wham — [sudden event]
The business was doing well, and wham — the owner announced it was closing next week.
Eitan saved money for years, and wham — a flood destroyed his shop overnight.
Jessica turned the corner in the hallway, and wham — there stood Henry holding a cake.
- out of nowhere
adverbial phrase rather than exclamation
- suddenly
neutral in register; wham is more dramatic and informal
用法筆記
Typically appears mid-narrative to mark the turning point. The clause before wham describes normal circumstances; wham introduces the disruption.
wham — noun
1. a hard hit or forceful blow, especially one that is delivered with great physica
a hard hit or forceful blow, especially one that is delivered with great physical effort.
The police officer gave the stuck door a sharp wham with his shoulder.
give + [object] + a wham
Ayesha's brother took a painful wham on the arm from a falling shelf.
The children heard a loud wham as the bully kicked the metal locker.
A carpenter delivered one final wham to drive the nail deep into the wood.
用法筆記
Often paired with give or take: give [something] a wham means to hit it once with force; take a wham means to receive a blow.
2. a sudden loud noise caused by something heavy hitting a hard surface with force.
a sudden loud noise caused by something heavy hitting a hard surface with force.
The neighbours were woken by a loud wham coming from the flat upstairs.
a loud wham + coming from [location]
Mert's sister jumped at the wham of the front door slamming shut.
The hikers heard a deep wham echo through the canyon as a rock fell.
The mechanics covered their ears at the wham of metal hitting the concrete floor.
用法筆記
Focuses on the sound rather than the action. Frequently appears with of to specify the source: the wham of [something hitting something].
wham — verb
- whampresent simple I / you / we / they
- whams3rd person singular
- whamming-ing form
- whammedpast simple
1. to hit, strike, or throw something with great force, producing a loud noise.
to hit, strike, or throw something with great force, producing a loud noise.
Jessica's coach whammed the ball over the tennis net during practice.
transitive: wham + object + direction phrase
Hassan's teammate whammed the hockey puck into the goal from across the rink.
The thief whammed the security guard on the head and ran out the back door.
A toddler whammed the toy truck against the wall, and the wheels flew off.
文法句型
wham + object + adverb/preposition
用法筆記
Always takes a direct object — the thing hit or thrown. The target or direction follows with a preposition (into, on, against, over).
2. to crash or collide with something, making a sudden loud sound.
to crash or collide with something, making a sudden loud sound.
The delivery truck whammed into the gate, bending the metal bars badly.
intransitive: subject + wham + into + object
The powerful waves whammed against the side of the fishing boat all night.
An old motorcycle whammed into the back of a parked car on the street.
The heavy scaffolding whammed against the building wall during the strong wind.
文法句型
wham + into/against + object
用法筆記
No direct object. The subject is the moving thing that collides. Always followed by into or against to specify what is hit.