popping

verb

present participle of pop
1
as in exploding
to break open or into pieces usually because of internal pressure a balloon popped suddenly and startled us all

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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

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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

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of popping In other words, someone who spent $1,000 on what seemed like an outrageous baseball souvenir more than a decade ago could now have the opportunity to bring the whole family to the World Series without paying today's eye-popping resale prices. — Jon Root Outkick, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026 A lot of these names and others like Sam Altman are popping up in popular culture and in Hollywood now. — Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 19 Oct. 2026 There’s a Grand Bohemian Art Gallery in Charleston, there’s one in Savannah, and there’s one here that’s worth popping into, too. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Oct. 2026 Locker room celebrations in the NFL tend to be subdued until the Super Bowl, and since hockey players are famously superstitious, popping bottles early is practically verboten in the NHL; the Stanley Cup is all that really matters. — Don Riddell, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026 The upcoming iPhone Duo’s eye-popping $2,000 starting price may be bordering on fiscally irresponsible for many consumers. — Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 18 Oct. 2026 Still, even eye-popping revenue estimates may not be enough to support sky-high spending. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026 The Jets put up 276 yards of total offense — hardly eye-popping numbers. — ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026 As one who is often researching the latest beauty treatments that brides are obsessing over, Xerf kept popping up during my scrolls. — Shelby Wax, Vogue, 12 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for popping
  1. exploding
  2. snapping
  3. shattering
  4. shooting
  5. detonating
  6. cracking
  7. smashing
  8. drilling
Verb
  • Carousel music mixed with the thunderous roar of roller coaster carts exploding through dizzying loops and heart-stopping drops.
    — Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The team that finished 24th in the league in runs scored, exploding for seven runs in game one of the ALCS against one of the best pitching staffs in baseball.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of exploding
Verb
  • And captured the juiciness of ripe strawberries, snapping the fruit into sweet focus in a pint of strawberry and passion fruit ice cream.
    — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • These new defects let the material keep deforming safely under extreme pressure instead of snapping.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of snapping
Verb
  • You’re always getting blindsided by massive, earth-shattering events.
    — Adam B. Vary, IndieWire, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The only trace left of a content shoot earlier in the day is a smidge of smokey eye makeup, while a pair of black, ankle-shattering Jimmy Choo stilettos have been replaced with khaki trainers.
    — Sophie Williams, Billboard, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of shattering
Verb
  • Late in the second quarter, Jalen Brunson was shooting free throws as the brand-new Philadelphia 76ers star got heated with someone sitting near the sidelines.
    — Ryan Morik OutKick, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Lemieux, 30, is making his PGA Tour debut this week after shooting a 66, the number synonymous with his father's illustrious NHL career, in a qualifying event in Florida last week.
    — Mike Darnay, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of shooting
Verb
  • Akhtar the author, though, is conducting a stealthy psyop aimed at detonating the certainties of combatants on both sides.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Jentleson compares the power of fusing race and these questions of fairness to detonating a nuclear warhead.
    — Isaac Arnsdorf, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of detonating
Verb
  • Seeing a few chapters out of context is not going to deliver the same thrill as cracking open the new book and reading as the author intended.
    — Anna Moeslein, Glamour, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The researchers developed their fiber-optic system to detect acoustic emissions, or small vibrations produced when materials undergo changes such as cracking.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of cracking
Verb
  • Holt had been smashing the glass of a jewelry kiosk stand with a blunt object, police said.
    — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Perhaps the squad took his ball-respecting mantra to its logical extreme, seemingly reluctant to sully it by smashing it into the net, with Chelsea recording the biggest xG underperformance in the Premier League during his brief tenure.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of smashing
Verb
  • Public-health and environmental advocates have also raised concerns about drilling near communities, including potential air- and water-quality harms.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The strings were installed by drilling holes with hot water, lowering the modules into the ice and allowing the holes to refreeze.
    — Daniella McCahey, The Conversation, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of drilling

Browse Nearby Words

poppets
popping
popping (in)
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Cite this Entry

“Popping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/popping. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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