1
as in to whip
to defeat by a large margin
in the summer box office sweepstakes, most of the Hollywood blockbusters got whupped by a small indie movie with no stars
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
a boxer whupping a badly outmatched opponent
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 whup
As a metro-area duo, though, Johnson and Fisher would whup any bad-owner tag team from any other city.
—
Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 Nov. 2021
Realize can’t nobody whup you.
—Bob McManaman, The Arizona Republic, 30 Aug. 2020
Real material and social progress is rarely made up out of glorious and dramatic crusades, though we are called to crusade from time to time: Hitler ain’t gonna whup his self.
—Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, 14 Sep. 2017
Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 Nov. 2021
Realize can’t nobody whup you.
—Bob McManaman, The Arizona Republic, 30 Aug. 2020
Real material and social progress is rarely made up out of glorious and dramatic crusades, though we are called to crusade from time to time: Hitler ain’t gonna whup his self.
—Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, 14 Sep. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whup
Verb
-
There were some frightening moments early Monday for a Miramar man after police say he was pistol whipped during a home invasion and his French bulldog was stolen.—
Steven Yablonski,
CBS News,
5 Jan. 2026
-
Or whips around his defender in a bold pirouette.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The sketch concluded with the librarian licking Moynihan's face with a forked tongue and then unbuttoning her blouse — causing all of the boys' heads to explode.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The first is Christopher Walken as Gabriel, a mean-spirited angel who sniffs and licks crime scenes and inspects children’s teeth for reasons that sort of make sense within the movie.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Samsung says these structural improvements allow the HP5 to overcome traditional low-light limitations.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Vance’s second biggest battle is overcoming political history, which statistically does not favor incumbent vice presidents’ chances of winning the White House.—
Myra Adams,
Washington Post,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Walpole got on the board first, scoring three seconds into the second quarter when Jack English pounded the ball into the end zone on third-and-goal from the one.—
Justin Barrasso,
Boston Herald,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Without its dynamic starting quarterback, the Cougars were outpaced by visiting Inglewood, which pounded the rock in a 40-16 victory on Friday at Saddleback College.—
Zach Cavanagh,
Oc Register,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Two teenage girls are charged with kidnapping a teenage boy after allegedly luring him into a basement and beating him for three hours in early November.—
Kyle Werner,
Des Moines Register,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Josh Doan scored, Colten Ellis made 30 saves in his first game in a month and the Buffalo Sabres beat the New York Rangers 5-2 on Thursday night to give them 12 victories in their past 13 games.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
There is no dignity, and no justice, in a system that buries an elderly woman alive in silence.—
Kim Aris,
Time,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Researchers at Queen Mary University of London and University College London have found that humans can detect objects buried in sand without directly touching them.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Still seething after a sloppy 19-16 loss to the Detroit Lions, Johnson wasn’t hiding his dissatisfaction with a defeat that seemed to diminish his team’s momentum.—
Dan Wiederer,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
-
But the jury in the federal civil lawsuit found that Moore violated Gillispie's rights by hiding evidence that would have helped Gillispie's defense and creating unfair lineup procedures for the victims.—
Laura A. Bischoff,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Fighter jets bombed strategic targets in Panama City and Colón, while ground forces dismantled the Panamanian Defense Forces.—
Cristina Guevara,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Jan. 2026
-
If Venezuela and its region instead spiral into chaos and suffering, Trump will merely look like a bully, a president who cowers when facing the mighty — in Moscow or Beijing, say — but bombs those who can’t return fire, whether in Nigeria, Yemen or Venezuela.—
Andreas Kluth,
Boston Herald,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whup.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whup. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share