Synonyms of bobbing

bobbing 1 of 2

verb (1)

present participle of bob

as in shaving

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

• shaving
• cutting
• trimming
• clipping
• mowing
• snipping
• shearing
• nipping
• cropping
• paring
• docking
• pruning
• polling
• cutting back
• whittling
• lopping (off)
• pinching
• shortening
• manicuring
• curtailing
• stumping
• skiving

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• extending
• lengthening
• elongating

bobbing

2 of 2

verb (2)

present participle of bob

1

as in pumping

to make short up-and-down movements

a family of ducks bobbing on the water

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pumping
• shaking
• swaying
• jerking
• nodding
• wagging
• jogging
• ducking
• bobbling
• jouncing
• rocking
• seesawing
• wiggling
• swinging
• jiggling
• wobbling
• oscillating
• undulating
• dropping

2

as in slapping

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

• slapping
• smacking
• hitting
• banging
• knocking
• slamming
• punching
• clapping
• pounding
• whacking
• striking
• clipping
• swiping
• cracking
• batting
• kicking
• bopping
• thumping
• tapping
• poking
• nailing
• swatting
• flicking
• bashing
• hammering
• jabbing
• pushing
• shoving
• licking
• boxing
• thwacking
• slugging
• chopping
• rapping
• clocking
• stroking
• bumping
• zapping
• belting
• clobbering
• socking
• tagging
• bonking
• smiting
• clouting
• stabbing
• slogging
• pasting
• bludgeoning
• busting
• walloping
• whaling
• biffing
• battering
• beating
• pummeling
• peppering
• pelting
• buffeting
• hanging one on
• mangling
• jostling
• lashing
• cuffing
• mauling
• slashing
• butting
• stamping
• whipping
• dumping
• scuffing
• prodding
• spearing
• flailing
• roughing
• lambasting
• lacing
• bunging
• bunting
• kneeing
• drubbing
• pommeling
• creaming
• switching
• decking
• thrashing
• cudgeling
• bowling (down or over)
• sapping
• braining
• flogging
• felling
• knocking down
• clubbing
• caning
• skulling
• conking
• flooring
• sledging
• leveling
• sledgehammering
• sucker punching
• rabbit-punching
• beaning

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of bobbing

Verb

Countless trees were felled and taken to Eugene for processing in mills or floated up the Willamette to Portland, the sawn trunks chained together in massive, bobbing rafts. — Literary Hub, 10 July 2026

While the lights themselves aren’t drawing in spiders, the moths, gnats, mosquitoes, and mayflies bobbing around the lights do. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 9 July 2026

The strips are piled high in plastic bins, sprawled over tables and fed underneath bobbing needles. — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 4 July 2026

Fascinators — those bobbing bundles often of feathers, flowers and netting perched off-center of the wearer’s head — are banned here. — Sheena McKenzie, CNN Money, 19 June 2026

Producers like Shungu, QThree, Mike Shabb, and Elsesser himself let their legato phrases repeat ad infinitum, gently bobbing like a dinghy in agitated waters. — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 10 June 2026

While the view from my balcony, overlooking yachts bobbing in the marina and Table Mountain further beyond, was lovely, nothing compares to the two-bedroom Cape Grace suite, with its panoramic perch over the mountain and harbor. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 June 2026

Metallic cat-eye and chrome finishes give the effect of an ice-cold glass, while sheer jelly polishes look almost exactly like the paper-thin slice of lime bobbing in your drink. — Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 29 May 2026

The series welcomes us into its world every week with a peppy pinball alien girl, bobbing and weaving her way through the myriad challenges of everyday life, never failing to arrive at her intended destination. — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 20 May 2026