1
as in bombs
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 licks
to strike repeatedly
a boxer whupping a badly outmatched opponent
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whups
Verb
-
The campus is eerily silent, even as Israel attacks Lebanon and the United States bombs Iran.—
Jonathan Zimmerman,
Chicago Tribune,
9 June 2026 -
The United States bombs Iran's nuclear facilities days later.—
Erin Mansfield,
USA Today,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Food stands also debuted that year, with ribs sizzling along with the blues licks.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
9 June 2026
-
At one point in a dinner scene, Shields' Erika licks Joey's fingers.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
The vessel bends, blocks, and whips the wind into complex micro-currents before the air ever hits the sails.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
2 June 2026
-
In the fourth minute, Meschack Elia whips a ball across the box to Bakambu, eight yards from goal.—
Franklin Leonard,
Vanity Fair,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Teams go bonkers when the player pounds their school name on the bracket.—
John Maffei,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 June 2026
-
Rain pounds down in a stinging curtain.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
Aledo clobbers Abilene in one game Aledo (29-10) only needed five innings to take care of Abilene (27-12-1) in one game, winner takes all Class 5A Division I regional final.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
The script hides serious moral and ethical conversations about fame, political violence, and powerful institutions amongst jokes about hashbrowns.—
Lorena O’Neil,
Rolling Stone,
20 June 2026
-
Rehka literally hides under a table to avoid him.—
Tasha Robinson,
Vulture,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
Hollis buries herself in work in an attempt to escape her complicated grief, while aspiring filmmaker Caroline copes by making snarky remarks and bristling at her mom's efforts to connect.—
Clarissa Cruz,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 June 2026
-
But New England’s trade effectively grants Brown the proverbial Change Of Scenery that buries the receiver’s unsaid motivations.—
Brooks Kubena,
New York Times,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
Wilhelm enters the room, removes most of his clothing and gets into bed with her, slaps her, pushes her away and then caresses her face and cradles her.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
-
That direct relationship is what separates a true farm to table operation from a restaurant that simply slaps the phrase on a marketing page.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Sacbee.com,
22 May 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Whups.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whups. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
