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
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Recent Examples of popping
But the high-profile nature of the awards and the eye-popping figures associated with them are pushing board-level compensation committees that negotiate CEO pay to prepare for conversations about similar packages.
—
Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2025
Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami — popping up in his fantasy.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 4 Oct. 2025
There will be new deals popping up throughout the month at Shake Shack.
—Sabrina Weiss, PEOPLE, 2 Oct. 2025
Suddenly hundreds of TikTok videos were popping up featuring these boots, which originally debuted in the 1970s—even Zendaya was on board.
—Aemilia Madden, Glamour, 2 Oct. 2025
Setting the thing up is as simple as popping the stand open, placing the case on top and opening it, sliding the stove out, then attaching the MOLLE wings, sink and faucet.
—New Atlas, 2 Oct. 2025
Investors seemed to be focused on the former, with the stock popping more than 4% in extended trading.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 1 Oct. 2025
Within days, Chad Powers shirts were popping up in shops and online.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 30 Sep. 2025
Arms stretched wide and his eyes popping even wider, the ball grasped tightly in his left hand, Boise State fifth-year cornerback A’Marion McCoy soaked in the cheers.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 28 Sep. 2025
Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2025
Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami — popping up in his fantasy.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 4 Oct. 2025
There will be new deals popping up throughout the month at Shake Shack.
—Sabrina Weiss, PEOPLE, 2 Oct. 2025
Suddenly hundreds of TikTok videos were popping up featuring these boots, which originally debuted in the 1970s—even Zendaya was on board.
—Aemilia Madden, Glamour, 2 Oct. 2025
Setting the thing up is as simple as popping the stand open, placing the case on top and opening it, sliding the stove out, then attaching the MOLLE wings, sink and faucet.
—New Atlas, 2 Oct. 2025
Investors seemed to be focused on the former, with the stock popping more than 4% in extended trading.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 1 Oct. 2025
Within days, Chad Powers shirts were popping up in shops and online.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 30 Sep. 2025
Arms stretched wide and his eyes popping even wider, the ball grasped tightly in his left hand, Boise State fifth-year cornerback A’Marion McCoy soaked in the cheers.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 28 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for popping
Verb
-
Russia fired a total of 595 exploding drones and decoys and 48 missiles, Ukraine’s air force said Sunday.—
Anders Hagstrom,
FOXNews.com,
28 Sep. 2025
-
The virtual sweepstakes games are exploding in popularity.—
CalMatters,
Oc Register,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
McGraw then joined in the happy moment, congratulating the couple with hugs and snapping a selfie, which Trent later shared on TikTok.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Clark cycles through the five stages of grief throughout her performance, snapping at a nurse over the treatment of her son one moment, and then breaking everyone’s hearts by wistfully telling stories of James’ daredevil antics the next.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Juni was shot in the head twice, with one bullet skimming her eye, and the other shattering her jaw.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Bonded by a mysterious, complicated past, the men share a fraught, if occasionally tender relationship that had been forever altered by shattering events decades earlier.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Guadagnino encourages our doubts, shooting Maggie in exaggerated horror-movie closeups set to the doomy bass notes and shrieking winds of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s score.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Sanford crashed his pickup truck into the church, set the building on fire and began shooting, striking multiple victims.—
Kristen Jordan Shamus,
Freep.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Russia will test a new laser system designed to take out mines without detonating the explosive devices, state media reported on Thursday.—
Ellie Cook,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Aug. 2025
-
Livingston is angry at Shagan for detonating the bomb without his order, but nevertheless takes advantage of the confusion over Abigail's fate to remove her from power.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The offense seems to be cracking under the weight of having to carry the team.—
Jeff Zrebiec,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Those larger ions won’t necessarily fit into existing battery designs without cracking or breaking the elements, Datta says.—
Andrew Moseman,
IEEE Spectrum,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Brown climbed the ladder to haul in a pass over the middle from Madsen, beating his defender in the air acrobatically before smashing into the end zone turf for the catch and a 33-14 lead.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
28 Sep. 2025
-
Superman proved to fire off the new DC under chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran, while the original gambles that Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy have made at the larger Warner Bros Motion Picture Group with Sinners and F1, as well as new IP A Minecraft Movie, have been smashing successes.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
While cracks and surface defects caused by traffic and environmental stress are easy to spot, detecting micro-cracks and damage in the lower layers still requires drilling and extracting core samples.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Energy Secretary Chris Wright has argued that the administration is making drilling cheaper by cutting red tape.—
Spencer Kimball,
CNBC,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Popping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/popping. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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