popping

verb

present participle of pop
1
as in exploding
to break open or into pieces usually because of internal pressure a balloon popped suddenly and startled us all

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in snapping
to break suddenly with an explosive sound the last strand popped, causing the chandelier to drop to the floor with a great crash

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in shattering
to cause to break open or into pieces by or as if by an explosive popping popcorn over a campfire

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in shooting
to strike with a missile from a gun went into the woods hoping to pop the rabbit that was eating our vegetables

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of popping Aschenbrenner and his fund attracted a cult-like following on social media this year thanks to eye-popping returns, with some retail traders looking to mirror his trades. — Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 30 July 2026 Look for Christopher Robin in the maze before popping into the secondhand bookshop. — Lea Tran, TheWeek, 30 July 2026 Its results have sparked a flurry of activity as physicists try to determine whether the conflicting measurements are a side effect of different experimental procedures, or a sign that new particles are popping up after all. — Matt Von Hippel, Quanta Magazine, 29 July 2026 Or be like me and stand over the sheet pan, popping still-hot cubes into your mouth like tater tots. — Ali Francis, Bon Appetit Magazine, 29 July 2026 Avoid picking at or popping blemishes, as this could increase your risk of infection, scarring, and hyperpigmentation. — Sherri Gordon, Health, 28 July 2026 There isn’t at the moment, and that is leading to eye-popping unaffordability for renters (not historically the case in Chicago, unlike New York), which is causing panic and leading to all of these calls for more regulations. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 26 July 2026 However, despite the record and the eye-popping statistics, the path to play for another title has not been easy. — Molly Keshin, New York Times, 25 July 2026 Giant metal roosters are popping up on lawns in and around a community in southern Maine and as far away as New Zealand in support of a 6-year-old autistic girl and her love of the colorful creations. — Holly Ramer, Fortune, 24 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for popping
  1. exploding
  2. snapping
  3. shattering
  4. shooting
  5. detonating
  6. cracking
  7. smashing
  8. drilling
Verb
  • This was the first time a Starship upper-stage survived a flight test without exploding either midflight or upon landing.
    — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 29 July 2026
  • Previous flights ended with the spacecraft engulfed in flames and exploding at splashdown — or rupturing in midair.
    — Marcia Dunn, Fortune, 25 July 2026
Definition of exploding
Verb
  • Sparks, buzzing, crackling, snapping or popping noises can all indicate that there may be electricity in the water.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 24 July 2026
  • Boston took two more over the weekend from Tampa before another win on Monday against Baltimore, snapping the Orioles’ own seven-game win streak.
    — Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 22 July 2026
Definition of snapping
Verb
  • Successive heat waves that hit unusually early and hard this year, baking Europe with record-shattering high temperatures, have turned forests and scrublands into tinderboxes.
    — Mark Carlson, Fortune, 25 July 2026
  • Schroeder mentioned another woman, 80, now an EVSA member, who was run down by an e-biker on April 16, 2024, shattering her leg, at the same location Jean was struck.
    — Lincoln Anderson, New York Daily News, 25 July 2026
Definition of shattering
Verb
  • An armed Hudson barricaded himself and his mother inside her apartment after deputies responded to the second call for help before shooting Hayes four times, killing her.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 25 July 2026
  • Ponce was charged in the March 2022 shooting death of John Reyes, 21, at a party in north Fort Worth.
    — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 July 2026
Definition of shooting
Verb
  • Brown says the firm also explored investing in an Israeli start-up developing underground munitions capable of tunneling beneath targets before detonating, but that deal ultimately fell through.
    — Clara Molot, Vanity Fair, 22 July 2026
  • The video shows these drones flying into the Russian positions and detonating their payloads during the assault.
    — Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of detonating
Verb
  • As part of the last step to cracking the cold case, direct DNA testing confirmed Edwards’ identity.
    — Chris Boyette, CNN Money, 25 July 2026
  • Although braids wind their way into many different areas of science, from protein folding to string theory, simply cracking the century-old case was enough of a reward for the trio.
    — Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 24 July 2026
Definition of cracking
Verb
  • On the contrary, Atlanta United, which started play in 2017, got the All-Star Game in its second year after smashing several attendance records.
    — Kamran Nia July 23, Charlotte Observer, 23 July 2026
  • Worse still, scientists say orcas may be smashing into much smaller sunfish for fun.
    — Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 23 July 2026
Definition of smashing
Verb
  • In June 2023, TotalEnergies officially began drilling for oil in the Tilenga project area within the park.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 July 2026
  • Blanco opened that frame with strikeouts of Hicks and Griffin Conine, but Mack followed Marsee by drilling a 3-2 fastball for his eighth homer of the season.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 21 July 2026
Definition of drilling

Browse Nearby Words

poppets
popping
popping (in)
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Cite this Entry

“Popping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/popping. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of popping for Spanish Speakers

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