whomped

Whomped is the past tense of the informal verb whomp, meaning to strike or hit something forcefully. In a sentence, it can describe a hard blow, as in “The boxer whomped his opponent,” or a decisive defeat, as in “The champions were whomped in the final.” The word has a blunt, physical, often playful sound, so writers use it when an impact is meant to feel emphatic rather than merely report an ordinary hit. It is especially common in informal North American English and is less likely in formal writing, where hit, struck, or beat may be preferable. Whomped also works naturally with get, as in “We got whomped by the other team,” presenting the speakers as the losers of a contest. Its past-tense ending makes the action vivid and complete while preserving the word’s forceful, informal character. Although whomp is available as a shorter form, whomped is the appropriate form when describing an action that has already occurred.

Informal: to hit or strike someone or something forcefully. It can also mean to defeat or overwhelm someone decisively.

Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.

Etymology of whomped

Whomp developed in the early 20th century as an expressive alteration of thump, emphasizing the blunt sound of a hard strike. Whomped is the regular past-tense form of that verb, while thump remains a related standard English word.

Related word forms

How whomped is actually used

Informal and colloquial, with a blunt, emphatic, sometimes humorous tone. It is especially common in North American speech and informal writing but is unsuitable for most formal contexts.

Easily confused with whomped

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Words and phrases paired with whomped

Rhymes with whomped