Wham
interjection
Used to express a sudden or unexpected occurrence or action.
I turned the corner and wham, there was a car right in front of me!
Often appears as...
- then wham
- out of the blue
Usage tips
Colloquial
noun
A sudden or forceful strike or blow.
He gave the door a wham and it burst open
Often appears as...
- give a wham
- with a wham
adverb
To do something suddenly or forcefully.
He wham shut the door
Often appears as...
- wham shut the door
- wham open the window
interjection
Used to express a sudden or unexpected occurrence or action.
I turned the corner and wham, there was a car right in front of me!
Often appears as...
- then wham
- out of the blue
Usage tips
Colloquial
noun
A sudden or forceful strike or blow.
He gave the door a wham and it burst open
Often appears as...
- give a wham
- with a wham
adverb
To do something suddenly or forcefully.
He wham shut the door
Often appears as...
- wham shut the door
- wham open the window
Definition 1 of 3
Pro Tip 1/3Sudden Surprise
Use 'wham' to describe something surprising that happens very quickly.
Everything was quiet, and then wham, fireworks started.
Pro Tip 2/3Expressive Sound
'Wham' is often used to mimic the sound of a sudden impact or collision.
The books fell off the shelf with a loud wham.
Pro Tip 3/3Not Literal
Sometimes 'wham' is used for dramatic effect, not to describe an actual sound.
She was considering her options when wham, she had a great idea.
Compare with
bangclapcollidehitimpactorslamsmashstrike
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Video examples
Diana Nyad: Extreme...
You're immersed in the liquid. Your body doesn't like the saltwater. After a couple of days, three days, you tend to rebel in a lot of physical ways. But no, two hours in, wham! Never in my life
Video examples
Diana Nyad: Extreme...
You're immersed in the liquid. Your body doesn't like the saltwater. After a couple of days, three days, you tend to rebel in a lot of physical ways. But no, two hours in, wham! Never in my life
Example 1 of 1
Quote examples
Frankie Avalon
American Actor
Everybody wants instant gratification for everything. It's all got to be like fast food. You want a hamburger now, you get it now. Hey, even when McDonald's started out, it took them a couple of minutes to make your burger and get it to you. Now, it's all wham, bam. That's tough enough on a burger. It's impossible with a relationship.
Quote examples
Don Kardong
American Athlete
I've never owned an actual trail-running shoe myself, but maybe I should. My favorite paths are fraught with peril, much of it skulking at shoelace level. A rock, a root, an errant pine cone. Wham, and you're down, choking in dust and picking pebbles from wounds in your forearms and knees.
Quote examples
Fleur East
English Musician
Everyone assumes it is just 'Wendy who works at Tesco' who goes to audition for 'X Factor,' and then their lives are changed, wham, like that. Me, I am someone who has tried for years in the music industry.
Quote examples
Thelma Ritter
American Actress
When a man and a woman see each other and like each other they ought to come together - wham - like a couple of taxis on Broadway, not sit around analyzing each other like two specimens in a bottle.
Quote examples
Joanna Krupa
American Model
I would love to have twins - a girl and a boy - but who knows if that would happen. It would be my ideal situation. Wham, bam, be done with it.
Quote examples
Frankie Avalon
American Actor
Everybody wants instant gratification for everything. It's all got to be like fast food. You want a hamburger now, you get it now. Hey, even when McDonald's started out, it took them a couple of minutes to make your burger and get it to you. Now, it's all wham, bam. That's tough enough on a burger. It's impossible with a relationship.
Quote examples
Don Kardong
American Athlete
I've never owned an actual trail-running shoe myself, but maybe I should. My favorite paths are fraught with peril, much of it skulking at shoelace level. A rock, a root, an errant pine cone. Wham, and you're down, choking in dust and picking pebbles from wounds in your forearms and knees.
Quote examples
Fleur East
English Musician
Everyone assumes it is just 'Wendy who works at Tesco' who goes to audition for 'X Factor,' and then their lives are changed, wham, like that. Me, I am someone who has tried for years in the music industry.
Quote examples
Thelma Ritter
American Actress
When a man and a woman see each other and like each other they ought to come together - wham - like a couple of taxis on Broadway, not sit around analyzing each other like two specimens in a bottle.
Quote examples
Joanna Krupa
American Model
I would love to have twins - a girl and a boy - but who knows if that would happen. It would be my ideal situation. Wham, bam, be done with it.
Example 1 of 5
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