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
-
Financial markets ended a tumultuous week with a thud, as stocks tumbled for a second straight day on concerns about the economic fallout from new U.S. tariffs and the prospects of a global trade war.—
Alain Sherter,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2025
-
Asian equities ended the week with a thud as Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand, and Malaysia fell more than -1% as tariff talk (terror?) curtails animal spirits and Indonesia closed for Hindu Saka New Year.—
Brendan Ahern,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Tire tread depth - Checking your tire tread before hitting the road is important, as low or no tread can lead to sliding.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Apr. 2025
-
Denzel Aberdeen hit the second of two free throws after Houston fouled, giving the Cougars one last chance to win or tie the game with 19 seconds to go.—
Kevin Dotson,
CNN Money,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
That’s a major blow to both sales and long-term customer loyalty.—
Samuel Mueller,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
-
His ruling, stopping the TPS revocation while the lawsuit plays out in his court, was a blow to the Trump administration.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
4 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
-
The conversation between the Beijing administration and the EU chief takes place after Washington last Wednesday slapped China and the EU with reciprocal tariffs of 34% and 20%, respectively.—
Dan Mangan,Kevin Breuninger,John Melloy,Ruxandra Iordache,Christina Wilkie,Erin Doherty,
CNBC,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Mitchell is one of the best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners in the world, and Silva is a well-rounded fighter who packs about as heavy a punch as anyone in the featherweight division.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
-
Indeed, Sunday could come down to Strong, who has been the one-two punch with Bueckers the Huskies have needed to return to the national title game.—
Grace Raynor,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Current world championship leader Lando Norris has typically celebrated his podiums by banging the base of the bottle on the step of the podium, causing the champagne to shoot upward into the sky.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
4 Apr. 2025
-
The real world is where a middle-aged law-firm associate just banged the hotel bandit.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
31 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Biff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/biff. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share