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
Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 7 May 2026
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
Keldon Johnson biffed reckless drives to the basket.
—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 7 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for biff
Noun
-
Agents yelled from every direction, and the thumps of a news helicopter overhead were deafening.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
-
Eventually, the space agency aims to fly the X-59 over a number of US communities to collect data on public reaction to its quieter sonic thumps.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
5 May 2026
Verb
-
Llamas smacked 139 hits in her career, Kyles 136.—
Don Norcross,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 June 2026
-
Then the others, perhaps hearing the now-familiar smack, smack, slurp of group tonsil hockey, followed suit.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Vulture,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
And this one sent the 73-year-old Belichick into the offseason with a final thud, armed with none of the silver-lining assessments that had followed modest gains shown in close losses or wins against some of the Atlantic Coast Conference's worst teams.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
30 Nov. 2025
-
The show, which debuted on Tuesday on Hulu, landed with a thud and garnered a jaw-dropping zero percent on Rotten Tomatoes from its initial spate of reviews, which included scathing takedowns from the Guardian, the Hollywood Reporter and the UK’s The Times.—
Mathew Rodriguez,
Them.,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Not over yet While the Nooksack River, near Everson, appeared to crest Thursday morning, other communities were waiting for the peak effects from the deluge to hit their communities.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
12 Dec. 2025
-
Salah goes to the centre-back, and Szoboszlai jumps to the left-back, ending up out of position when goalkeeper Matz Sels hits one long.—
Liam Tharme,
New York Times,
12 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
The rookie took a deep breath, settled into his stance and watched as Houston’s pitcher, Enyel De Los Santos, attempted to deliver the final blow.—
Latif Love
June 14,
Kansas City Star,
14 June 2026
-
Star third baseman José Ramírez broke a bone in his left hand on a swing Saturday and will be sidelined for an indefinite period, a massive blow to the two-time defending AL Central champions.—
Tom Withers,
Chicago Tribune,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
Rhodes then slapped Zayn across the face.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
-
At least until the lake came back to more or less slap him in the face.—
Samantha Highfill,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
Olivia Rodrigo is a student of Love and her ilk who has been riding high off the one-two punch of 2021’s Sour and 2023’s Guts, chart-toppers dually indebted to modern pop and ’90s grunge.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
15 June 2026
-
His Bernstein had visceral, vernacular punch; his Verdi was ardent and spry; his Britten had the right textural grit; his Mozart unfurled with complicated grace.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
The front door to the General Store banged shut.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Aug. 2025
-
The banging only grows louder as an unknown person pounds their forehead into a door.—
Connor Merrihew,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Biff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/biff. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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