as in claps
a loud explosive sound
the soda can opened with a sharp pop
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in dads
a male human parent
ask your pop if he knows where the keys to the shed are
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in explodes
to break open or into pieces usually because of internal pressure
a balloon popped suddenly and startled us all
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in shatters
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 shoots
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
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 pops
Ali Faccenda, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2025
Virgil van Dijk and Wayne Rooney have been taking pops at each other.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
The team of Kpetikou and Kone won with their red velvet eyeball cake pops.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 2 Nov. 2025
Tender, fresh okra and holy trinity pepper, onions, and celery add a lovely contrast of texture while contributing pops of color.
—Melinda Salchert, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2025
Even if a bubble pops, there will be winners—each company would like to be the first to build a superintelligent machine.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2025
Gathered around the couch, in a spacious living room soundtracked by hushed jazz piano, her little sister disassociates with headphones while her pops casually chats to her stepmother; observing from a wheelchair is her 94-year-old great-grandmother.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 30 Oct. 2025
The shutdown ground to a near-halt an IPO market that was just getting going, with Figma, Netskope, and Chime all seeing big pops.
—Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Other rooms in the house boast bold pops of print and color, too.
—Lennie Omalza, Louisville Courier Journal, 30 Oct. 2025
L. Carol Ritchie, NPR, 7 Nov. 2025
Not so in Canada, as the Blackhawks star pops up in commercials pretty frequently — including a CIBC ad with none other than Connor McDavid, which seems to be running on a loop north of the border.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
Despite her better judgment, Sarah pops the tape into the VCR, and we’re introduced to a triptych of stories featuring Art the Clown.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
The unknown male then points the gun, and an image of Trump wearing a crown with red crosshairs on his forehead pops up.
—Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 30 Oct. 2025
That means companies planning on filing permits for new products, which must be approved by the TTB before the bottling process begins and the spirit pops onto the market, may run into a few headaches, The Spirits Business reported.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 28 Oct. 2025
But where Patel and the prosecutors promise a lion, out pops a mouse.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 26 Oct. 2025
There in the dark, a poem by my grandmother pops into my head.
—Rowan Jacobsen, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
The player must complete the dare inside when a balloon pops or claim their treat.
—Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Oct. 2025
Noun
Christmas Garland Add a touch of winter magic to bannisters, doorways, and fireplace mantels with this 72-inch garland that includes pops of red berries, faux cypress, and pine.
—Ali Faccenda, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2025
Virgil van Dijk and Wayne Rooney have been taking pops at each other.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
The team of Kpetikou and Kone won with their red velvet eyeball cake pops.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 2 Nov. 2025
Tender, fresh okra and holy trinity pepper, onions, and celery add a lovely contrast of texture while contributing pops of color.
—Melinda Salchert, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2025
Even if a bubble pops, there will be winners—each company would like to be the first to build a superintelligent machine.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2025
Gathered around the couch, in a spacious living room soundtracked by hushed jazz piano, her little sister disassociates with headphones while her pops casually chats to her stepmother; observing from a wheelchair is her 94-year-old great-grandmother.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 30 Oct. 2025
The shutdown ground to a near-halt an IPO market that was just getting going, with Figma, Netskope, and Chime all seeing big pops.
—Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Other rooms in the house boast bold pops of print and color, too.
—Lennie Omalza, Louisville Courier Journal, 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
Pull the linguistic thread a little further, and the word pops up as a mark of frustration.
—L. Carol Ritchie, NPR, 7 Nov. 2025
Not so in Canada, as the Blackhawks star pops up in commercials pretty frequently — including a CIBC ad with none other than Connor McDavid, which seems to be running on a loop north of the border.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
Despite her better judgment, Sarah pops the tape into the VCR, and we’re introduced to a triptych of stories featuring Art the Clown.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
The unknown male then points the gun, and an image of Trump wearing a crown with red crosshairs on his forehead pops up.
—Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 30 Oct. 2025
That means companies planning on filing permits for new products, which must be approved by the TTB before the bottling process begins and the spirit pops onto the market, may run into a few headaches, The Spirits Business reported.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 28 Oct. 2025
But where Patel and the prosecutors promise a lion, out pops a mouse.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 26 Oct. 2025
There in the dark, a poem by my grandmother pops into my head.
—Rowan Jacobsen, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
The player must complete the dare inside when a balloon pops or claim their treat.
—Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pops
Verb
-
Her scenes with Shannon as Garfield are lovely, but at another point in Death by Lightning, Gilpin's character explodes into a whole new gear, altering the course of history along the way.—
David Bianculli,
NPR,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Autumn is when the park really explodes in color.—
Karthika Gupta,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The organ is dropped on the floor and a dog in the waiting room, who'd accidentally consumed marijuana, snaps it up and runs away with it.—
Ana Calderone,
PEOPLE,
8 Nov. 2025
-
And if a hundred fish come out of the water, the AI snaps pictures of that hundred fish, identifies those fish, and puts that into the package in a microsecond.—
Dan Morrison,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Dousing enemies covered in mud with water shatters their defenses faster than basic attacks, while fire melts ice enemies without issue.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
4 Nov. 2025
-
The latest expression that shatters the 140-proof mark comes from Louisville blender Barrell Craft Spirits, and this is one blend of whiskeys finished in Caribbean rum barrels that should be on any whiskey masochist’s bottle list.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
While Garfield is walking through Washington’s Baltimore and Potomac train station with his two sons and Blaine (then Secretary of State), Guiteau shoots the President in the back.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
6 Nov. 2025
-
In Argentina, the journey to the Devil’s Throat begins aboard the open-air Ecological Train and ends at a balcony that shoots out over the falls.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Brother Dusk detonates explosives that shatter the cryonic chamber of Cleon clones, bodies raining down in blood and glass, before plucking a single embryo from the wreckage to bait Demerzel’s deepest programming.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Determined to finish the job, Dante detonates explosives on the dam itself.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
24 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
But even when Carr smashes a model boat to smithereens after a professional rejection or Allura imagines herself going full Lemonade on Chase’s sidepiece, their actions feel divorced from any larger context.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
-
But even when Carr smashes a model boat to smithereens after a professional rejection or Allura imagines herself going full Lemonade on Chase’s sidepiece, their actions feel divorced from any larger context.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The state also limited preseason contact drills to six hours total and banned spring and summer practices.—
Alana Semuels,
Time,
20 Oct. 2025
-
If New England drills the Dolphins, head coach Mike McDaniel might not make it to Week 3.—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Whatever way the wind blows, that’s the way college sports go.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Dolphins beating themselves Mike McDaniel blows a gasket after Larry Borom commits a false start and the Dolphins miss the field goal.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pops.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pops. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share