as in hitting
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
she playfully bopped him on the head
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of bopping
After bopping around venues, the Jazz Showcase planted deeper roots under the Happy Medium in Streeterville, then the Blackstone Hotel.
—
Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026
Throw a linen shirt over the look and—voila—an adorable daytime look for bopping around Seapoint Main Road.
—Abbey Hudetz, Travel + Leisure, 16 Apr. 2026
The first summer Mike joined us for our annual pilgrimage to Watch Hill, Rhode Island—the last summer my dad was able to travel—the two of them spent hours bopping around the pastel-colored shops.
—Ashley Parker, The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2026
Pratt is reprising his starring role as Mario, the Koopa-bopping plumber and brother of Luigi.
—Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 3 Apr. 2026
Fans were on their feet bopping along.
—CBS News, 28 Mar. 2026
Are Fanny and her mother related to Claire in some other way — Claire’s mother, Julia, sings the same song to her newborn son William, who could still be bopping around singing that song in the 18th century.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
Christiani Pitts and Sam Tutty bring crackling wit and easy chemistry to a mismatched pair bopping between boroughs.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 12 Dec. 2025
Famed film director Spike Lee and Hip-hop stalwarts Common and Black Thought could be seen bopping their heads to the Songs In The Key of Life favorite.
—Keith Murphy, VIBE.com, 12 Dec. 2025
Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026
Throw a linen shirt over the look and—voila—an adorable daytime look for bopping around Seapoint Main Road.
—Abbey Hudetz, Travel + Leisure, 16 Apr. 2026
The first summer Mike joined us for our annual pilgrimage to Watch Hill, Rhode Island—the last summer my dad was able to travel—the two of them spent hours bopping around the pastel-colored shops.
—Ashley Parker, The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2026
Pratt is reprising his starring role as Mario, the Koopa-bopping plumber and brother of Luigi.
—Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 3 Apr. 2026
Fans were on their feet bopping along.
—CBS News, 28 Mar. 2026
Are Fanny and her mother related to Claire in some other way — Claire’s mother, Julia, sings the same song to her newborn son William, who could still be bopping around singing that song in the 18th century.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
Christiani Pitts and Sam Tutty bring crackling wit and easy chemistry to a mismatched pair bopping between boroughs.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 12 Dec. 2025
Famed film director Spike Lee and Hip-hop stalwarts Common and Black Thought could be seen bopping their heads to the Songs In The Key of Life favorite.
—Keith Murphy, VIBE.com, 12 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bopping
Verb
-
That passion to play every moment to the hilt, along with her powerful hitting stroke, that came with being a coach’s daughter.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
30 Apr. 2026
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Horner told a false story about hitting the little girl with his van and then strangling her in a panic, according to testimony of the case’s lead investigator, Texas Ranger Job Espinoza.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Ruiz, making his fourth start, has hit two home runs in 14 Marlins plate appearances after smacking seven in his first 621 in the big leagues.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
3 May 2026
-
The flashes were caused by rocky objects smacking into the lunar surface, and the astronauts’ observations of them caused scientists in Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center to erupt in cheers.—
Denise Chow,
NBC news,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
That meant a pre-existing zero-tariff trade environment for exporters on both sides of the Atlantic was overridden, slapping new duties onto Scotch whisky and other spirits sent to America from Britain.—
Chloe Taylor,
CNBC,
1 May 2026
-
The movie's December 2022 release was largely overshadowed by the aftermath of Smith slapping Chris Rock on stage at that year's Academy Awards.—
Staff Author,
PEOPLE,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Jurors then heard sounds of banging and choking — and Athena screaming and crying, the Star-Telegram reports.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
27 Apr. 2026
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On the night he was arrested, Martinez confessed to shaking Heather and banging her head against a crib, but later recanted that confession.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Business Insider previously obtained an internal document that described damage to one data center knocking 14 EC2 cloud server racks offline, in addition to impacting five other server racks.—
Jeremy Hsu,
ArsTechnica,
1 May 2026
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Tollinche allegedly antagonizes people on the social media platform, and neighborhood teens have recently been gathering outside his home, knocking on his door and calling him out, according to police.—
Aaron Katersky,
ABC News,
1 May 2026
Verb
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The behavior of a suspect in the murders of two University of South Florida students from Bangladesh worsened over time from marijuana use, family members told deputies after his arrest three years ago for punching his brother in the face and kicking his mother in the back.—
Mike Schneider,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 Apr. 2026
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Ryan said Horner later confessed to punching and kicking the child in the head.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar quickly responded on X, slamming his Ukrainian counterpart for conducting diplomacy on social media.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
28 Apr. 2026
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Trump’s remarks came hours after the first lady released a statement slamming Kimmel for the comment.—
Sydney Topf,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Spirits were high at the event, with protesters cheering and clapping for speakers.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
2 May 2026
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To see players announced and introduced after 10 minutes of pointless waiting and camera shots of team executives sitting around a table looking at laptops before clapping after every decision.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bopping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bopping. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
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