bobbed 1 of 2

verb (1)

past tense of bob
as in shaved
to make (something) shorter or smaller with the use of a cutting instrument bobbed her waist-length hair herself on her 18th birthday

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

bobbed

2 of 2

verb (2)

past tense of bob
1
as in pumped
to make short up-and-down movements a family of ducks bobbing on the water

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in smacked
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner he playfully bobbed his brother on the nose to get his attention

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 bobbed
Verb
My Lady Clam bobbed in the water, which didn’t look so turbulent from where Kath sat. — Literary Hub, 11 Aug. 2026 One afternoon as a rookie, listening to coaches drone on in a dark room with film cutups flashing in front of them, his head bobbed. — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 24 July 2026 Six young women — hair fashionably bobbed, shins covered by knee-high socks — posed in dark, modest swimming suits in the tiled abyss of an empty swimming pool. — Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026 Wooden boats bobbed in long rows, their names and registration numbers hand-painted on the hulls, as men in neon vests unloaded catch and frigate birds swooped down to pick at the scraps. — Will Freeman, New Yorker, 30 June 2026 Yellow dandelions bobbed in the breeze. — Maggie Slepian, Longreads, 14 May 2026 Dead fish bobbed on the river’s surface as wastewater ran off directly into the Conasauga. — Dylan Jackson, ABC News, 6 May 2026 Crews then raced to recover the astronauts aboard the vehicle, which bobbed for a few hours in the Pacific Ocean near California. — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026 Draped across a sumptuous velvet chaise longue within the art deco splendour of Eltham Palace, Susie Cave is moonlighting as a fabulous Biba-bobbed lady of the manor. — Alice Newbold, Vogue, 20 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bobbed
  1. shaved
  2. pumped
  3. smacked
  4. cut
  5. shook
  6. slapped
  7. clipped
  8. jerked
Verb
  • Samsung has successively shaved a few millimeters off every year, taking a leap last year with the Z Fold 7.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The rest of the video cuts to the pro getting his shaggy platinum blonde hair snipped and shaved down to a shorter look by the reality star, who laughs multiple times while taking charge of Appleton’s transformation.
    — Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of shaved
Verb
  • Fresh water is often pumped into the caverns during rapid drawdowns, which dissolves the salt walls, Misra said.
    — Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The person who pumped the gas can be seen wearing a black balaclava style mask and dark clothing, the warrant affidavit said.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of pumped
Verb
  • Taylor Trammell then smacked his first triple of the year off the brick wall in right field before Allen sent him home with the go-ahead run off Keaton Winn (2-3).
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • When Cunningham went up, Carrington jumped and smacked her in the face.
    — Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of smacked
Verb
  • Low-flow plumbing fixtures and water-saving showerheads cut water consumption, and LED lighting and energy-efficient appliances lower overall energy use.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Humanitarian aid to Afghanistan – which is needed by approximately 45% of the population – has been dramatically cut by international donors since the Taliban returned to power, with women and girls bearing the brunt of those cuts.
    — Kara Fox, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of cut
Verb
  • None of this much mattered to student Aayden Vasquez, who is excited about starting at Pacoima Middle School and shook hands with Chait, Garcha and anyone else who offered a palm during their visit to his home.
    — Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Tarrant County District Attorney In mid-November 1996, Narez shook her daughter, Kasandra White, and threw the child into a wall, causing her head to strike a door, according to the 1999 Tarrant County grand jury indictment.
    — S.E. Jenkins, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of shook
Verb
  • Later in the series, Shah finds himself getting slapped in the face.
    — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Slapping and/or being slapped was one of Oliver’s handful of requests for his soap opera appearance, along with playing a character with a ridiculous name, and wearing an equally ridiculous wig.
    — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of slapped
Verb
  • Mehidy then produced a superb delivery that straightened past the bat of Beau Webster (5) and clipped the top of off stump to have Australia at 6-193, still trailing by 35 runs and with the tail exposed.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The most clipped of Drake’s dates on social media was with famous goth streamer, Pinkchyu, who got the rapper to comply with her request to bark like a dog on camera.
    — Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of clipped
Verb
  • But in 1933, within a matter of days, they were jerked back into reality.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Once the squid gather near the surface, lines fitted with bait are lowered into the water and rapidly jerked up and down to imitate small prey such as shrimp, triggering strikes before the catch is reeled aboard.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 20 June 2026
Definition of jerked

Browse Nearby Words

bob
bobbed
bobbed (up)
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Cite this Entry

“Bobbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bobbed. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on bobbed

Nglish: Translation of bobbed for Spanish Speakers

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