Synonyms of bobbed

bobbed 1 of 2

verb (1)

past tense of bob

as in shaved

to make (something) shorter or smaller with the use of a cutting instrument

bobbed her waist-length hair herself on her 18th birthday

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shaved
• cut
• clipped
• trimmed
• cropped
• sheared
• pared
• snipped
• mowed
• pruned
• docked
• nipped
• polled
• cut back
• lopped (off)
• whittled
• manicured
• pinched
• shortened
• skived
• stumped
• curtailed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• extended
• elongated
• lengthened

bobbed

2 of 2

verb (2)

past tense of bob

1

as in pumped

to make short up-and-down movements

a family of ducks bobbing on the water

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pumped
• shook
• jerked
• nodded
• swayed
• wagged
• jogged
• ducked
• bobbled
• jounced
• seesawed
• swung
• wiggled
• rocked
• wobbled
• oscillated
• jiggled
• dropped
• undulated

2

as in smacked

to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner

he playfully bobbed his brother on the nose to get his attention

Synonyms & Similar Words

• smacked
• slapped
• knocked
• banged
• slammed
• hit
• punched
• clapped
• pounded
• whacked
• clipped
• struck
• swiped
• batted
• cracked
• thumped
• kicked
• bopped
• swatted
• poked
• shoved
• bashed
• flicked
• tapped
• licked
• chopped
• nailed
• thwacked
• hammered
• pushed
• jabbed
• rapped
• clocked
• slugged
• boxed
• pasted
• clobbered
• socked
• bludgeoned
• belted
• tagged
• zapped
• whaled
• stroked
• smote
• stabbed
• slogged
• clouted
• bumped
• busted
• walloped
• bonked
• biffed
• battered
• buffeted
• pummeled
• peppered
• lashed
• mangled
• cuffed
• stamped
• beat
• pelted
• mauled
• laced
• hung one on
• slashed
• bunged
• butted
• scuffed
• roughed
• jostled
• prodded
• whipped
• dumped
• decked
• lambasted
• flailed
• drubbed
• speared
• bunted
• creamed
• pommeled
• thrashed
• switched
• clubbed
• felled
• conked
• kneed
• leveled
• bowled (down or over)
• sapped
• floored
• knocked down
• caned
• flogged
• sledged
• beaned
• brained
• cudgeled
• sucker punched
• sledgehammered
• skulled
• rabbit-punched

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of bobbed

Verb

As the balloon carrying the cauldron rose and bobbed a couple hundred feet overhead, many got busy taking photos and recording videos and selfies. — Hannah Bloch, NPR, 9 Sep. 2026

During the Hudson Williams look-alike contest, Hoefer zoned out as a large cardboard cutout of the Heated Rivalry star’s face bobbed over the crowd. — E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026

My Lady Clam bobbed in the water, which didn’t look so turbulent from where Kath sat. — Literary Hub, 11 Aug. 2026

One afternoon as a rookie, listening to coaches drone on in a dark room with film cutups flashing in front of them, his head bobbed. — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 24 July 2026

Six young women — hair fashionably bobbed, shins covered by knee-high socks — posed in dark, modest swimming suits in the tiled abyss of an empty swimming pool. — Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026

Wooden boats bobbed in long rows, their names and registration numbers hand-painted on the hulls, as men in neon vests unloaded catch and frigate birds swooped down to pick at the scraps. — Will Freeman, New Yorker, 30 June 2026

Yellow dandelions bobbed in the breeze. — Maggie Slepian, Longreads, 14 May 2026

Dead fish bobbed on the river’s surface as wastewater ran off directly into the Conasauga. — Dylan Jackson, ABC News, 6 May 2026