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.
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Recent Examples of pops
Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2026
Gigi Hadid sports several pops of color for her day in New York City on April 3.
—Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 7 Apr. 2026
The rooms Rooms are bright and contemporary, with floor-to-ceiling windows and subtle pops of turquoise that nod to the surrounding ocean.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Apr. 2026
This showy shrub features bright red or orange berries, adding pops of color to yards all over.
—Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 5 Apr. 2026
Colored a prominent tangerine, the additional hour hand on the Explorer II pops against the black or white face and points to a 24-hour bezel.
—Adam Erace, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2026
The contrasting butter yellow pops beautifully against this deep nude base.
—Amanda Le, InStyle, 4 Apr. 2026
For a quick and easy way to savor the fresh flavor of ripe strawberries all summer long, try these strawberry-lemonade pops.
—Patricia S York, Southern Living, 3 Apr. 2026
Snag Blenders’ Sydney glasses to try the pattern for yourself, or follow Molina-Mulcahy’s advice and experiment with pops of color with one of the other options.
—Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster, 26 Mar. 2026
Ronan Farrow, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
When the right arm pops, the Rams can’t afford to pass him up.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 5 Apr. 2026
Marcello Hernández’s Domingo character pops in for a second before Jack White comes in and cartoon-style boinks his head with a pan.
—Rima Parikh, Vulture, 5 Apr. 2026
The robotic characters break free from their restaurant resting place to cause chaos in town, while the villainous Marionette pops up to possess victims for her own nefarious purposes.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
There’s a sturdiness to his game that pops right away, and that usually gets teams’ attention.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2026
Alongside him is Glenn Martens, Margiela’s creative director, who pops up during a momentary lull in the action downstairs.
—Luke Leitch, Vogue, 31 Mar. 2026
Mathis hopes to keep some momentum going after a double to left but Dement pops it up to end the inning.
—Zoe Collins Rath, Austin American Statesman, 27 Mar. 2026
Should anyone ever find themselves in a real jam, like imprisonment by a vengeful pharaoh or life-threatening thirst, God pops by long enough to get the story back on track.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 22 Mar. 2026
Noun
But the high ball screens and pick-and-pops the Warriors have been hyping up for months?
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2026
Gigi Hadid sports several pops of color for her day in New York City on April 3.
—Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 7 Apr. 2026
The rooms Rooms are bright and contemporary, with floor-to-ceiling windows and subtle pops of turquoise that nod to the surrounding ocean.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Apr. 2026
This showy shrub features bright red or orange berries, adding pops of color to yards all over.
—Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 5 Apr. 2026
Colored a prominent tangerine, the additional hour hand on the Explorer II pops against the black or white face and points to a 24-hour bezel.
—Adam Erace, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2026
The contrasting butter yellow pops beautifully against this deep nude base.
—Amanda Le, InStyle, 4 Apr. 2026
For a quick and easy way to savor the fresh flavor of ripe strawberries all summer long, try these strawberry-lemonade pops.
—Patricia S York, Southern Living, 3 Apr. 2026
Snag Blenders’ Sydney glasses to try the pattern for yourself, or follow Molina-Mulcahy’s advice and experiment with pops of color with one of the other options.
—Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster, 26 Mar. 2026
Verb
If the bubble pops, economic catastrophe may follow.
—Ronan Farrow, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
When the right arm pops, the Rams can’t afford to pass him up.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 5 Apr. 2026
Marcello Hernández’s Domingo character pops in for a second before Jack White comes in and cartoon-style boinks his head with a pan.
—Rima Parikh, Vulture, 5 Apr. 2026
The robotic characters break free from their restaurant resting place to cause chaos in town, while the villainous Marionette pops up to possess victims for her own nefarious purposes.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
There’s a sturdiness to his game that pops right away, and that usually gets teams’ attention.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2026
Alongside him is Glenn Martens, Margiela’s creative director, who pops up during a momentary lull in the action downstairs.
—Luke Leitch, Vogue, 31 Mar. 2026
Mathis hopes to keep some momentum going after a double to left but Dement pops it up to end the inning.
—Zoe Collins Rath, Austin American Statesman, 27 Mar. 2026
Should anyone ever find themselves in a real jam, like imprisonment by a vengeful pharaoh or life-threatening thirst, God pops by long enough to get the story back on track.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 22 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pops
Verb
-
There’s an intimacy to it in the verses, and then there’s a big dynamic jump, an octave jump between the verse and the chorus, which just explodes into this hopeful, optimistic thing.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
2 Apr. 2026
-
In that kind of disaster scenario, the crew capsule separates from the rocket to save the astronauts, and the rocket explodes into small pieces.—
Charlie Gile,
NBC news,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Homelander then catches up to the speedster and snaps his neck.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
8 Apr. 2026
-
The centerpiece of the expansion, which was led by the architects Shohei Shigematsu and Rem Koolhaas, in collaboration with the firm Cooper Robertson, is an atrium that snaps right onto the side of the flagship building.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Related Stories The film shatters stereotypical visuals of space, veering away from cold and desaturated colors, and using warmer tones such as orange.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Security footage provided by Elfvin shows the robot rolling directly into the side panel of a bus shelter, which shatters and showers the robot and sidewalk around it with what appears to be glass shards.—
Talia Soglin,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Hoffman shoots a 7-under 65 in the wind for a four-shot edge over William McGirt.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Apr. 2026
-
In the last seconds of the finale, Ari Haswari (Rudolf Martin) shoots Todd dead — still the series’ most shocking moment over the decades.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Advertisement Christine Adams Courtesy of Apple TV Lang gets off the train and, once at a safe distance, detonates the explosive.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
4 Mar. 2026
-
But once in a rare while, the frame detonates into history.—
Christopher Anderson,
Vanity Fair,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But Wark smashes a ball to left field for the Aggies to retake the lead, 7-5.—
Zoe Collins Rath,
Austin American Statesman,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Delivery robot smashes into glass of bus shelter in Old Town on Tuesday afternoon.—
Jeramie Bizzle,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The van’s speakers played a high-volume mashup of construction sounds, Jordan Peterson lectures, Marine Corps drills, and mumbling voices.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Skeleton drills with rags hanging from their shorts.—
Nick Canepa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
As the wind blows between the Moquith and Moccasin mountains, the velocity increases and carries the sand grains from the sandstone.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The wind buffets and blows inside the cabin, decreasing downforce and making acceleration less efficient.—
Doug Turnbull,
AJC.com,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pops.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pops. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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