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
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2
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
a boxer whupping a badly outmatched opponent
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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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
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It’s inspired by a French silk pie, but without any eggs to whip.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
12 Feb. 2026
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For season 1 of The Boss, InStyle Editor in Chief Sally Holmes taps Julia Fox (Uncut Gems, Him, The Moment) as the Temporary-Permanent Ambassador of Slayage in an effort to whip the InStyle team’s style into shape ahead of New York Fashion Week.—
InStyle Editors,
InStyle,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Mitch West, meanwhile, was licking his wounds on Monday night, when snow still hadn’t touched down in his region of South Carolina.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
28 Jan. 2026
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England’s Test team are still licking their wounds after their humbling Down Under.—
Sam Dalling,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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France’s Eric Perrot overcame a wobble on the final shoot and a late surge from Norway’s Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen to win a sensational first men’s relay gold medal for his country today.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
17 Feb. 2026
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While most fungal attempts at infection fail, a small number do succeed thanks to the constant evolutionary pressure on pathogens to overcome host plant defenses.—
Lily Peck,
The Conversation,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But that gives us a different look and the versatility of being able to play the two of them together and pound the glass on both ends is a weapon for us.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
13 Feb. 2026
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That means sneakers, ideally a pair that’s durable enough to withstand pounding the pavements, will be essential to your roster of footwear.—
Natalie Hammond,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Liam Gagne recorded 24 saves and Billerica rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat Milton 3-2 in the first round of the Irish American Shootout.—
Kristina Banahan,
Boston Herald,
18 Feb. 2026
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Skincare delivered €551 million in sales and represented 11% of the group’s full-year revenue, beating market expectations.—
Hikmat Mohammed,
Vogue,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Only one body was identified by a family, while the others were buried on Friday.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
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In a report published this month in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, a team from the Australian National University examined the tooth enamel of three individuals buried at the Dong Xa Iron Age burial site in Northern Vietnam.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This means that bills get hearings, debates happen in public, and legislators are required to vote on issues instead of hiding behind process.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
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Maybe Mark Kelly and several other dissident members of Congress are hiding the sun in a big bag.—
Alexandra Petri,
The Atlantic,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Iran has been refusing requests by the agency to inspect the sites bombed in the June war.—
Farnoush Amiri,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
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Such joint ventures could allow Ukraine to produce more of its weapons elsewhere in Europe, ensuring stability of supply if factories inside Ukraine get bombed.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whup.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whup. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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