as in hitting
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
she playfully bopped him on the head
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of bopping
Are Fanny and her mother related to Claire in some other way — Claire’s mother, Julia, sings the same song to her newborn son William, who could still be bopping around singing that song in the 18th century.
—
Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
The energy was infectious, and the crowd still sang along, bouncing their shoulders and bopping their heads.
—Christopher Harris, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2026
No agents of the state will yank you out of a stadium for bopping along to this!
—Alexandra Petri, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026
Still bopping to the top, 20 years later!
—Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
Christiani Pitts and Sam Tutty bring crackling wit and easy chemistry to a mismatched pair bopping between boroughs.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 12 Dec. 2025
Famed film director Spike Lee and Hip-hop stalwarts Common and Black Thought could be seen bopping their heads to the Songs In The Key of Life favorite.
—Keith Murphy, VIBE.com, 12 Dec. 2025
This Zara Asymmetric Fringe Skirt captures to cozy, elevated look perfectly, ideal for everything from bopping around the city with my toddler to going out for cocktails in Milan.
—Nneya Richards, Travel + Leisure, 26 Nov. 2025
According to various videos circulating, partygoers across the city were in for a surprise as Mamdani, 34, was spotted bopping behind DJ booths, MCing street parties, and participating in Halloween dance memes.
—Sirena Bergman, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
The energy was infectious, and the crowd still sang along, bouncing their shoulders and bopping their heads.
—Christopher Harris, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2026
No agents of the state will yank you out of a stadium for bopping along to this!
—Alexandra Petri, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026
Still bopping to the top, 20 years later!
—Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
Christiani Pitts and Sam Tutty bring crackling wit and easy chemistry to a mismatched pair bopping between boroughs.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 12 Dec. 2025
Famed film director Spike Lee and Hip-hop stalwarts Common and Black Thought could be seen bopping their heads to the Songs In The Key of Life favorite.
—Keith Murphy, VIBE.com, 12 Dec. 2025
This Zara Asymmetric Fringe Skirt captures to cozy, elevated look perfectly, ideal for everything from bopping around the city with my toddler to going out for cocktails in Milan.
—Nneya Richards, Travel + Leisure, 26 Nov. 2025
According to various videos circulating, partygoers across the city were in for a surprise as Mamdani, 34, was spotted bopping behind DJ booths, MCing street parties, and participating in Halloween dance memes.
—Sirena Bergman, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bopping
Verb
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Separately, emergency crews in Oman are battling a fire at fuel storage tanks, after a social media video geolocated by CNN appeared to show an Iranian drone hitting a tank at the port.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
12 Mar. 2026
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Another officer returned fire, hitting Rivera twice.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Her furious attempts to extricate herself from Ramirez ended with her smacking her head on the parking lot asphalt and Ramirez hitting her in the right eye, according to the arrest report.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
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Shepard attached the head of a 6-iron golf club to his sample collecting tool and was recorded smacking a couple golf balls across the lunar landscape.—
Arizona Republic,
AZCentral.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Itoje was sin-binned in the 64th for illegally slapping the ball in a maul and 13 men were playing Italy's 15.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Mar. 2026
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As opposed to slapping a host of aerodynamic elements on there, Xiaomi's designers integrated the aerodynamics into the car's shape itself.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Residents in several neighborhoods have been protesting at night as the capital has been plunged into darkness, banging pots and pans and shouting anti-government slogans.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
11 Mar. 2026
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Every so often, a shot sailed wide, the puck banging loudly against the glass behind the net.—
Panashe Matemba-Mutasa,
Mercury News,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Canadarm was used for spacewalking, several Hubble Space Telescope missions and some impromptu maneuvers such as knocking an ice plug off a frozen shuttle drain line, according to NASA.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
6 Mar. 2026
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Return to New York when Broadway comes knocking.—
Charlie Hobbs,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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More teams are punching their tickets to the NCAA Tournament on Sunday as the major conference’s compete for championships.—
Grace Raynor,
New York Times,
9 Mar. 2026
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Mater Dei goalkeeper Nate Enriquez made two saves by punching the ball far away from the goal with his fists.—
Lou Ponsi,
Oc Register,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Now, further observations of the aftermath of the mission – which entailed intentionally slamming a vehicle into a space rock – is revealing something unexpected in the binary system of asteroids.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
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All forms of assault, including slamming someone against a wall, stabbing and punching, are not OK.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Doncic’s technical was his 14th of the season – he wasn’t whistled for a second despite clapping at a referee to protest a no-call in the final minutes.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
4 Mar. 2026
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Doncic received his 14th technical foul of the season in the second quarter, and he wasn't whistled for a second despite clapping at a referee to protest a no-call in the final minutes.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bopping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bopping. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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