as in thump
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
he got a biff in the noggin as his reward for trying to intervene in the fight
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to smack
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
the elderly woman swung her purse and biffed the mugger upside the head
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 biff
Mike Meehall Wood, Forbes, 25 May 2021
Here are the best biffs: Between now and Saturday night, each of the 25 finalist robots will get one chance to run through the gauntlet.
—Eric Limer, Popular Mechanics, 5 June 2015
Noun
Nobody loves the old school biff more than me.
—Mike Meehall Wood, Forbes, 25 May 2021
Here are the best biffs: Between now and Saturday night, each of the 25 finalist robots will get one chance to run through the gauntlet.
—Eric Limer, Popular Mechanics, 5 June 2015
Recent Examples of Synonyms for biff
Noun
-
Rami Sinno is crouched beside a filing cabinet, wrestling a beach-ball sized disc out of a box, when a dull thump echoes around his laboratory.—
Billy Perrigo,
Time,
2 Apr. 2025
-
Then the silence was broken by the loud thump of Olive’s .38/40.—
Horace R. Hinkley,
Outdoor Life,
19 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Pennsylvania’s drift to the right was the fourth largest of the seven, smack in the middle.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
4 Apr. 2025
-
Still, the Yankees managed to make things interesting in the ninth inning, as Volpe smacked a three-run homer off Arizona lefty A.J. Puk to cut the deficit to one.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
That the episode doesn’t engage with weightier questions around representation and A.I. only makes its bittersweet ending, in which Brandy is gifted another A.I. prototype of Dorothy, land with a thud.—
Abby Monteil,
Them.,
17 Apr. 2025
-
In the new court filing, phone records show Mortensen tried calling the other four roommates – but got no response – around the time when security camera from a residence close to the home picked up at 4:17 a.m. distorted audio of voices, a whimper, followed by a loud thud, and a barking dog.—
Lauren del Valle,
CNN,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Houston threw numbers behind the ball for most of the game to avoid getting hit by the deadly counterattacks and transitions KC has been known for.—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
20 Apr. 2025
-
New York’s forward did so by staying attached through the bazillion screens Detroit set and recovering when he was hit.—
James L. Edwards III,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
More price hikes provide a psychological blow that shakes consumer confidence.—
Rohit Arora,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
-
The endorsement was a boon to Mr. Cuomo, 67, and a blow to his rivals.—
Nicholas Fandos,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Miss: The Ring General World Heavyweight Champion Gunther was interrupted by Jey Uso, who came through the crowd to confront him in the ring; despite Gunther's attempts to speak, Jey slapped the microphone away and questioned Gunther about his family.—
Gordon G. Chang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Apr. 2025
-
That proved a terrible bet for the Ukrainians, since the likelihood of Putin entering peace talks when tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers were occupying a piece of Mother Russia was about as low as the S&P 500 doubling in value after Trump slapped tariffs on everybody.—
Daniel DePetris,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The entirety of Sinners may take place over the span of only 24 hours, but Ryan Coogler (Creed, Black Panther) sure manages to pack a punch into that timeframe.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
18 Apr. 2025
-
Netflix’s earnings beat for Q1 comes amid broader fears of a looming economic downturn that could deliver a punch to consumer spending and ad budgets.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Once the van doors are shut, Miller, Nero, Porter, and multiple civilian witnesses hear Gray yell and bang against the van, shaking it.—
Steve Earley,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Apr. 2025
-
The room began swaying and pictures banged against the walls.—
Muktita Suhartono,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Biff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/biff. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share