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
Relevance
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
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Recent Examples of popping
Throughout the day, jot down any worries that are bothering you, particularly the ones that keep popping up.
—
Andee Tagle, NPR, 27 Mar. 2026
The Derpy McFlurry, blends creamy vanilla soft serve with berry popping pearls in a wild berry sauce.
—Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 26 Mar. 2026
On the other hand, all these omens popping up so early in the season is an indication there are further twists to come.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 26 Mar. 2026
These eye-popping price hikes have many Americans looking to Washington for relief.
—Barbara Hoare, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
Right now, poppies are popping at the reserve in the western Mojave Desert.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
The Derpy McFlurry, blends creamy vanilla soft serve with berry popping pearls in a wild berry sauce.
—Mike Snider, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
As March is starting to draw to a close, some road closed signs are already popping up around and town and ALCO Parking President Merrill Stabile said to build the staging, lost parking spaces are right around the corner.
—John Shumway, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
We are quickly introduced to a host of potential suspects, including the parents of the bride, Jerry and Sandra (Jason O’Mara and Justine Mitchell), the Molly-popping DJ Glen (Shane Daniel Byrne), and Cormac (Adam John Richardson), a teacher with some suspicious physical injuries.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 24 Mar. 2026
Andee Tagle, NPR, 27 Mar. 2026
The Derpy McFlurry, blends creamy vanilla soft serve with berry popping pearls in a wild berry sauce.
—Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 26 Mar. 2026
On the other hand, all these omens popping up so early in the season is an indication there are further twists to come.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 26 Mar. 2026
These eye-popping price hikes have many Americans looking to Washington for relief.
—Barbara Hoare, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
Right now, poppies are popping at the reserve in the western Mojave Desert.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
The Derpy McFlurry, blends creamy vanilla soft serve with berry popping pearls in a wild berry sauce.
—Mike Snider, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
As March is starting to draw to a close, some road closed signs are already popping up around and town and ALCO Parking President Merrill Stabile said to build the staging, lost parking spaces are right around the corner.
—John Shumway, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
We are quickly introduced to a host of potential suspects, including the parents of the bride, Jerry and Sandra (Jason O’Mara and Justine Mitchell), the Molly-popping DJ Glen (Shane Daniel Byrne), and Cormac (Adam John Richardson), a teacher with some suspicious physical injuries.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 24 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for popping
Verb
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But the affordability backlash is on the brink of exploding in another sector of the economy, where the AI boom is already raising the price of consumer electronics.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The deals are exploding all over Amazon's Big Spring Sale, and all of the top computer brands are getting in on the action.—
K. Thor Jensen,
PC Magazine,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The unexpected guest drew a stunned silence from attendees, with many snapping photos.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Mathieu Olivier scored the first goal 44 seconds into the second period, taking a pass from Werenski on a 3-on-2 rush and snapping a shot over the glove of Philadelphia goalie Dan Vladar to tie the score 1-1.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Martha had a confidence-shattering experience with her previous boyfriend.—
Deborah Treisman,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Atlanta Police Department During the incident, a stray bullet struck an Atlanta Public Schools bus, shattering one of its windows.—
CBS News Atlanta Staff,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Police said Wang had slashed their throats and concocted a story about arriving home and shooting at a fleeing intruder responsible for the killings.—
Carlos E. Castañeda,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Brown fell just short of a triple-double (29 points, nine rebounds, nine assists) but posted his third-worst shooting percentage of the season (9-for-29) and had five turnovers.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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No, a restaurant where conviviality flows like a broken water main, and the food is rich, comforting and detonating with flavor.—
Scott Hocker,
TheWeek,
16 Mar. 2026
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Some mines are programmed to ignore the first ship that passes, detonating only on the fifth, just so that the mine-clearing team goes through safely and the tanker behind it takes the hit.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Some prime examples include titanium and nickel, which can make the final piece brittle and prone to cracking.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Mar. 2026
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Now cosmologists in the international Collaboration for Observations, Models and Predictions of Anomalies and Cosmic Topology (COMPACT) have pushed, and the tidy picture is cracking.—
Paul M. Sutter,
Scientific American,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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One of the men is seen on surveillance video smashing the front door with a metal object and connecting the ATM to the vehicle using a metal cable.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Mar. 2026
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Particle accelerators like the LHC typically work by firing beams of particles at nearly the speed of light and smashing them together.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Refineries differ somewhat from drilling in that they are partly concentrated in Texas (Houston, Beaumont, Corpus Christi, and Dallas) but also have a large presence in Los Angeles, Chicago, New Orleans, Minneapolis, San Francisco, and Bellingham, Wash.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
26 Mar. 2026
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End-to-end rush, fabulous deke on the goaltender, drilling it home with the net bulging as instant proof.—
Allan Mitchell,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Popping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/popping. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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