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
-
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 -
Above, South Lake Tahoe ripper Emma Dayberry bombs through Kirkwood’s fabled Finger chutes, a quick traverse off of the Cornice Express six-pack chairlift.—
Drew Zieff,
Outside,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Weir picked up his first guitar licks from David Nelson and future Jefferson Airplane member Jorma Kaukonen.—
Richard Gehr,
Rolling Stone,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Everybody licks the big pink flesh wall.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
13 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Or whips around his defender in a bold pirouette.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Jan. 2026
-
Marty whips off his sport coat and throws it in the crowd.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Burrell pounds his way down to the four-yard line.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
18 Oct. 2025
-
The man simply pounds the zone.—
Dan Freedman,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In fact, Ross typically hides from no one, usually strolling through the locker room to make his exit.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
8 Jan. 2026
-
In season 5, episode 2, Karen hides in the tub with her daughter, Holly, while holding her breath to hide from a demogorgon—this scene truly depicts a mother’s unconditional love.—
Lynnette Nicholas,
Parents,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Stirring it with instant espresso powder noticeably decreases the effervescence, before the dense richness of the heavy cream all but buries it.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 Dec. 2025
-
Clark rises, buries a deep, game-winning 3, and looks straight into the camera.—
Devon Henderson,
New York Times,
25 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Boston Blue slaps a fresh coat of paint on Blue Bloods, the CBS procedural that ended its 14-season run last year.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Dec. 2025
-
Speaking with Cocoa Butter about her most memorable roles, Calloway revealed that the moment Ike slaps Jackie came across so emotional and raw because the stunt went wrong.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
5 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Jacen overcomes his fear and plays music for others.—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
12 Jan. 2026
-
But even here, her sincerity overcomes her weakness for sentimental flourishes, including Amine Bouhafa’s treacly score.—
Tim Grierson,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Jan. 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 22 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
