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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Ukraine bombs Russian energy infrastructure to defend civilians and destroy the Kremlin war machine.—
Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Oct. 2025
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Remind them their worth is non-negotiable When your child fails — gets cut from the team, bombs a test — remind them their value isn't up for debate.—
Verb
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Everybody licks the big pink flesh wall.—
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Posted to the account @maisythemarshmallow on September 19, the video shows the dog, named Maisy, lying calmly as the cat snuggles up and licks her face.—
Verb
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Or whips around his defender in a bold pirouette.—
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Marty whips off his sport coat and throws it in the crowd.—
Verb
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And while Americans’ overall ideological self-identification looks stable in the aggregate (37% very conservative/conservative, 34% moderate, 25% very liberal/liberal), a January 2025 Gallup poll shows that this steadiness hides tectonic tensions tugging beneath the surface.—
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Now, Scieszka’s debut filters Tuck Everlasting-esque immortality through the social media age—examining how someone hides their eternal lifespan from facial recognition technology and venture capitalists looking to capitalize upon family property and the ultimate anti-aging secrets.—
Verb
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Stirring it with instant espresso powder noticeably decreases the effervescence, before the dense richness of the heavy cream all but buries it.—
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Clark rises, buries a deep, game-winning 3, and looks straight into the camera.—
Verb
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The tarp slaps the frame of the truck’s roof.—
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As the scrum disperses, D’Angelo turns to you and slaps you five.—
Verb
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But even here, her sincerity overcomes her weakness for sentimental flourishes, including Amine Bouhafa’s treacly score.—
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The research team at Tokyo Polytechnic University has now demonstrated a simple and affordable VLC system that overcomes several of these obstacles.—
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Cite this Entry
“Whups.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whups. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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