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
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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
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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
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Then, Mitski licks up the blood on the girl’s finger.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
16 Jan. 2026
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After the drill, Ruin rolls onto his back, then licks a reporter's nose.—
Megan Sauer
Tasia Jensen,
CNBC,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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When a dog repeatedly wags and whips its tail against hard surfaces, the tip can split open, bruise or break.—
Miriam Fauzia,
Dallas Morning News,
21 Jan. 2026
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Benbrook whips Diamond Hill-Jarvis Benbrook stayed on pace for a playoff berth in District 8-4A as the Lady Bobcats thumped Fort Worth Diamond Hill-Jarvis 55-7.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The claw then releases the broken bikes and pounds them down once more for good measure.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
14 Jan. 2026
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Burrell pounds his way down to the four-yard line.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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This wasn’t the reassuring notion that transcendence hides within the everyday.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
23 Jan. 2026
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The government hides almost everything.—
Majirata Latela,
The Dial,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The painter spends hours drawing sketches of the corpse, then chops up her body, arranges the pieces in a suitcase and buries it with the help of an old man sitting under a cypress tree.—
Amir Ahmadi Arian,
The Dial,
15 Jan. 2026
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The slide catches, carries, and briefly buries him.—
Madison Dapcevich,
Outside,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
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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
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By placing wind turbines in the air, this overcomes land use pressures and also makes the technology more flexible for places like cities.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
18 Jan. 2026
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Jacen overcomes his fear and plays music for others.—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
12 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Whups.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whups. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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