1
as in exploding
to break open or into pieces usually because of internal pressure
a balloon popped suddenly and startled us all
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in snapping
to break suddenly with an explosive sound
the last strand popped, causing the chandelier to drop to the floor with a great crash
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in shattering
to cause to break open or into pieces by or as if by an explosive
popping popcorn over a campfire
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in shooting
to strike with a missile from a gun
went into the woods hoping to pop the rabbit that was eating our vegetables
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of popping
As the fintech sector comes roaring back, companies like Ramp and Stripe have dominated headlines with eye-popping funding rounds and rapid growth.
—
Leo Schwartz, Fortune, 3 Nov. 2025
Make the pumpkin filling (similar to pumpkin pie filling) in a separate bowl and then combine it with yellow cake mix and melted butter before popping this cake into the oven.
—Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 2 Nov. 2025
Franken-Candy Sundae – Creamy vanilla soft serve topped with Oreo cookie crumbles, purple candy syrup, and purple and green popping candy.
—Cheryl V. Jackson, IndyStar, 31 Oct. 2025
All around Turkey, Farm Bank produce stands were popping up.
—Moisés Naím, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
Sliding Barn Doors—Especially on Bathrooms Sliding barn doors were one of the most popular design trends of the mid-2000s, popping up in everything from farmhouse-style kitchens to modern bedrooms.
—Lauren Bengtson, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Oct. 2025
Despite the steady stream of headlines about eye-popping sales and soaring prices in Manhattan real estate, the median price per square foot for Manhattan condos is essentially flat from a decade ago, according to a report from Brown Harris Stevens.
—Robert Frank, CNBC, 25 Oct. 2025
As the latest original model from Williams‘ long-running partnership with Adidas, the Jellyfish had been eagerly anticipated for much of the year after first popping up in Paris Fashion Week in January.
—Stephen Garner, Footwear News, 25 Oct. 2025
Jaylinn Hawkins missed two straight games, rookie Craig Woodson was absent from Wednesday’s practice and Kyle Dugger was listed as questionable after popping up on the injury report late in the week.
—Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 25 Oct. 2025
Leo Schwartz, Fortune, 3 Nov. 2025
Make the pumpkin filling (similar to pumpkin pie filling) in a separate bowl and then combine it with yellow cake mix and melted butter before popping this cake into the oven.
—Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 2 Nov. 2025
Franken-Candy Sundae – Creamy vanilla soft serve topped with Oreo cookie crumbles, purple candy syrup, and purple and green popping candy.
—Cheryl V. Jackson, IndyStar, 31 Oct. 2025
All around Turkey, Farm Bank produce stands were popping up.
—Moisés Naím, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
Sliding Barn Doors—Especially on Bathrooms Sliding barn doors were one of the most popular design trends of the mid-2000s, popping up in everything from farmhouse-style kitchens to modern bedrooms.
—Lauren Bengtson, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Oct. 2025
Despite the steady stream of headlines about eye-popping sales and soaring prices in Manhattan real estate, the median price per square foot for Manhattan condos is essentially flat from a decade ago, according to a report from Brown Harris Stevens.
—Robert Frank, CNBC, 25 Oct. 2025
As the latest original model from Williams‘ long-running partnership with Adidas, the Jellyfish had been eagerly anticipated for much of the year after first popping up in Paris Fashion Week in January.
—Stephen Garner, Footwear News, 25 Oct. 2025
Jaylinn Hawkins missed two straight games, rookie Craig Woodson was absent from Wednesday’s practice and Kyle Dugger was listed as questionable after popping up on the injury report late in the week.
—Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 25 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for popping
Verb
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The plane then lifted slightly off the ground before crashing and exploding in a huge fireball.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Many of them are desperately struggling to protect their homes – for some, their only source of wealth – in the face of exploding rents and threats of eviction.—
Cassie Powell,
The Conversation,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The Wolves rode that momentum to a 122-105 victory, snapping a two-game skid.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
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The anime community is well-represented too; fans in Chainsaw Man, Dan Da Dan, Demon Slayer and My Hero Academia costumes can be seen sauntering down the halls, snapping selfies together.—
Nikki Birch,
NPR,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The user shared another clip in the thread that followed, showing the G1 breaking into a room like a burglar, shattering a glass door.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Nov. 2025
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But to have somebody that's a main character like that actually get killed was something that was shattering to everybody.—
Sabienna Bowman,
PEOPLE,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Kirill Kaprizov, who showed his frustration after Anthony Mantha’s empty-net goal by shooting the puck against the boards and then removing his number from the board that listed media requests following the game, scored the lone goal for Minnesota.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Jesse jokes, blithely unaware, before shooting out of bed after locking eyes with the chimp.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In between detonating bombs hidden in Christmas presents and disfiguring the entire police force, Art sets his sights on the Shaw family.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
-
In July 2011, a Norwegian neo-Nazi went on a rampage, detonating a bomb in Oslo, Norway, before opening fire at a Labour Party youth camp on nearby Utoya Island.—
Chelsea Bailey,
CNN Money,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Meanwhile, Brody kept things light by cracking threesome jokes.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Green is known for speaking his mind, talking candidly, and cracking jokes at the expense of others.—
Nelson Espinal,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The ceremony involved smashing a bottle of champagne into the hull of the submarine, which Navy Commander Admiral Aleksandr Moiseev did.—
Abhishek Bhardwaj,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Nov. 2025
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The situation is likely to seem even more bizarre to some people, after a video was released Tuesday, showing Perry picking up a birthday cake presented to her by her Lifetimes Tour backup dancers and smashing it on the ground.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Peterson didn’t disappoint either, drilling a top-10 Louisville team for 26 points on 15 shots, including six 3s in only 25 minutes, before sitting out Kansas’ second preseason game against Fort Hays.—
Sam Vecenie,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
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The decision on whether to open up the Arctic to further drilling should have been made by the Indigenous people of Alaska, Shea said.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Popping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/popping. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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