noun / verb

thwack

THWAK/θwæk/

A hard strike with a sharp, heavy sound.

The woman's thwack sends dust bursting from the hanging rug.

A middle-aged East Asian woman sharply strikes a hanging rug with a flat paddle, catching the instant the rug dents and a small puff of dust bursts away.

Etymology

Thwack imitates the sound of a forceful blow rather than combining older meaning-bearing pieces. Its sound directly evokes the sharp impact described by the verb.

More examples

He thwacks the ball across the yard with a paddle.
A branch thwacked my shoulder as I pushed through the brush.
Two hard thwacks with a mallet knock the peg loose.

Forms

thwack · thwacks · thwacked · thwacking

Similar words

smack: Smack emphasizes a sharp slap, often with an open hand.
whack: Whack emphasizes a forceful hit rather than its particular sound.