as in thump
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
he got a biff in the noggin as his reward for trying to intervene in the fight
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to smack
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
the elderly woman swung her purse and biffed the mugger upside the head
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of biff
Mike Meehall Wood, Forbes, 25 May 2021
Here are the best biffs: Between now and Saturday night, each of the 25 finalist robots will get one chance to run through the gauntlet.
—Eric Limer, Popular Mechanics, 5 June 2015
Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
Noun
Nobody loves the old school biff more than me.
—Mike Meehall Wood, Forbes, 25 May 2021
Here are the best biffs: Between now and Saturday night, each of the 25 finalist robots will get one chance to run through the gauntlet.
—Eric Limer, Popular Mechanics, 5 June 2015
Verb
The Dodgers have by no means biffed this series.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for biff
Noun
-
Jin Shin has come across some monster potholes over the last couple of weeks, including one in Koreatown that rattled his car with a sickening thump and another near the airport where its depth was obscured by water.—
Alex Wigglesworth,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Twitchy enough to line up off the edge or run with a tight end in the slot, Fisher (6-1, 231) is a bit small but brings enough thump to be the type of linebacker who never has to leave the field.—
Nick Baumgardner,
New York Times,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In his defense, Barnett took the stand to say there was no murder plot and that Thomas threatened him for the money using physical violence — knocking out a tooth, injuring his left shoulder, and smacking his private parts.—
Sydney Pereira,
Miami Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Stiddy is the guy who throws no-look passes in practice and talks smack to the starting defense.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
And then, when Stafford and Rodgers and the Titans said no thanks, Schoen landed with a thud on … Russell Wilson.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The Panthers’ run game ended the 2025 regular season with a thud.—
Mike Kaye
Updated January 7,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Journalist Don Lemon was released from custody Friday after he was arrested and hit with federal civil rights charges over his coverage of an anti-immigration enforcement protest that disrupted a service at a Minnesota church.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Jan. 2026
-
But of all the spaghetti that got thrown at the wall, this is the one that hits for reasons that are totally orthogonal to politics and sort of Washington.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Reigns flipped Gunther onto the edge of the ring and went for the knockout blow, but it was countered.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
1 Feb. 2026
-
After being victimized by a pair of Bulls blow-bys in his initial stint, there was no additional stint, with Jovic instead moved up when Adebayo went out.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
As the Wolverines dribbled the ball down the floor, all five Spartans slapped the floor.—
Austin Meek,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
-
And finally, in late October, when plans for another bilateral summit were shelved (again because the Kremlin seemed unwilling to compromise), the White House slapped sanctions on Russia’s biggest oil giants, Lukoil and Rosneft – a step even the Biden administration had balked at.—
Clare Sebastian,
CNN Money,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
With a light snow falling outside McCamish Pavilion, Henri Veesaar gave North Carolina (17-4, 5-3 ACC) a devastating 1-2 punch on the inside with 20 points and 12 rebounds.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
1 Feb. 2026
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Located just 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver, Cypress Mountain is more of a commuter hill than a destination resort, but its terrain punches well above its weight.—
Brent Rose,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
My ten-year-old granddaughter was marching and banging her little saucepan with a salad spoon.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Libby and director Tyne Rafaeli certainly do not miss an opportunity to bang that gavel.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Biff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/biff. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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