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
The Bronx natives say popping up in the bodega was the natural choice.
—
Jessi Roti, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 Apr. 2026
Bodnar said popping noises lasted for about 90 seconds.
—Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 3 Apr. 2026
Think fast, because 1 in 3 California men would consider popping the question at a fast-food restaurant amid rising dining costs, according to a new survey.
—Kristin Scharkey, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026
Easter baskets have gotten a social media–driven makeover this year, with viral treats and visually over-the-top sweets popping up across TikTok and store shelves.
—Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 3 Apr. 2026
Flash forward to the present, however, and the data centers that are popping up everywhere are amid the AI boom are most decidedly not being built in the ocean.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 2 Apr. 2026
Lithium, gold, and geothermal energy are hot commodities in rural Nevada, and new projects are popping up in the desert outside of town.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 2 Apr. 2026
If the topsoil isn't very deep on part of the lawn due to shallow tree roots popping up there, add 1/4 inch of topsoil.
—David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 2 Apr. 2026
Aside from a handful of mature trees and some daffodils that surprised us by popping up in the spring, there was virtually no landscaping.
—Tessa Cooper, Southern Living, 1 Apr. 2026
Jessi Roti, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 Apr. 2026
Bodnar said popping noises lasted for about 90 seconds.
—Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 3 Apr. 2026
Think fast, because 1 in 3 California men would consider popping the question at a fast-food restaurant amid rising dining costs, according to a new survey.
—Kristin Scharkey, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026
Easter baskets have gotten a social media–driven makeover this year, with viral treats and visually over-the-top sweets popping up across TikTok and store shelves.
—Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 3 Apr. 2026
Flash forward to the present, however, and the data centers that are popping up everywhere are amid the AI boom are most decidedly not being built in the ocean.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 2 Apr. 2026
Lithium, gold, and geothermal energy are hot commodities in rural Nevada, and new projects are popping up in the desert outside of town.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 2 Apr. 2026
If the topsoil isn't very deep on part of the lawn due to shallow tree roots popping up there, add 1/4 inch of topsoil.
—David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 2 Apr. 2026
Aside from a handful of mature trees and some daffodils that surprised us by popping up in the spring, there was virtually no landscaping.
—Tessa Cooper, Southern Living, 1 Apr. 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
-
Two batters later, Nathaniel Lowe had an RBI double to right-center, snapping the Reds’ 31-inning scoreless streak against Skenes.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Videos of Hershey’s chocolate bars bending like rubber instead of snapping clean have taken over TikTok in early 2026 — and the explanation involves more than just a weird batch of candy.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
1 Apr. 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
-
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
-
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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As a result, there is a need to build geothermal plants in non-seismic, nonvolcanic areas of the world for drilling and reaching deeper geothermal resources.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
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The price surge also has had political ramifications for oil production in California, with Trump invoking a Cold War-era law to force the controversial resumption of offshore drilling in the Golden State, citing the need to bolster domestic oil production for national security purposes.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Popping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/popping. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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