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
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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
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Recent Examples of bobbing
Anne Flaherty, ABC News, 15 Sep. 2025
Across the field, Granite Hills’ talented junior quarterback, Zac Benitez, chilled out, bobbing his head to tunes playing on his headphones.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2025
Dramatic video shows the moment nearly 70 shipping containers fell off a cargo ship Tuesday and were left bobbing in the ocean at the Port of Long Beach in California.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2025
The concert film captures Mitski alongside a seven-piece band, bobbing in and out of a beaming spotlight and dark shadows.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 8 Sep. 2025
Peacocks roam around the lush grounds and peer at guests bobbing by in a tube on the lazy river.
—Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
There was an apple-bobbing contest during the third.
—Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2025
These ten red clay courts nestled in Riverside Park are fairly idyllic with unusually handsome plantings, friendly volunteers, and sailboats bobbing on the water nearby.
—David Shaftel, Curbed, 26 Aug. 2025
The dining room’s glass walls look onto sailboats bobbing in the marina as the sun sets over the Atlantic.
—Seth Sherwood, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
Verb
In a video Trump posted to a social media, a small boat can be seen bobbing the water before being struck, resulting in a cloud of black smoke.
—Anne Flaherty, ABC News, 15 Sep. 2025
Across the field, Granite Hills’ talented junior quarterback, Zac Benitez, chilled out, bobbing his head to tunes playing on his headphones.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2025
Dramatic video shows the moment nearly 70 shipping containers fell off a cargo ship Tuesday and were left bobbing in the ocean at the Port of Long Beach in California.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2025
The concert film captures Mitski alongside a seven-piece band, bobbing in and out of a beaming spotlight and dark shadows.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 8 Sep. 2025
Peacocks roam around the lush grounds and peer at guests bobbing by in a tube on the lazy river.
—Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
There was an apple-bobbing contest during the third.
—Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2025
These ten red clay courts nestled in Riverside Park are fairly idyllic with unusually handsome plantings, friendly volunteers, and sailboats bobbing on the water nearby.
—David Shaftel, Curbed, 26 Aug. 2025
The dining room’s glass walls look onto sailboats bobbing in the marina as the sun sets over the Atlantic.
—Seth Sherwood, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bobbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bobbing. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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