BUBBLING Synonyms: 29 Similar and Opposite Words

bubbling

verb

present participle of bubble

as in splashing

to flow in a broken irregular stream the soapy water bubbled down the drain

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 bubbling Rumors of Frow’s impending departure had been bubbling in the industry in some months. — K.j. Yossman, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026 Anthony Tubbs of the Los Angeles Fire Department said firefighters also responded to reports of flooding in the area and found water bubbling from the street. — Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026 While the pop culture world is still reeling over Kelly Clarkson’s feud with a Brooklyn store, there’s a new online row bubbling up on X between Kacey Musgraves and Kristi Noem. — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 12 Oct. 2026 The replicant uprising that has been bubbling up in the films has taken place and the humans have lost. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 11 Oct. 2026 In this case, that’s Haddad’s uncle Charlie (played by a bubbling Jonathan Raviv), who is technically his father’s first cousin, but is also — crucially and non-derogatorily — very much a fairy. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2026 This satellite time-lapse from Tuesday night to Wednesday night shows thunderstorms bubbling up within Isaias during this intensification period. — Kate S. Petersen, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2026 Transfer to your favorite baking dish, top generously with additional Parmesan, and gratiné until bubbling and golden. — ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026 In the face of all that truthiness bubbling up, executives lost the ability to manage expectations internally and with partners. — Simon Denny, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bubbling

Verb

The emotional landscape is heightened by birdcalls, splashing waves, and trees thrashing in the wind.

— E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Platt shot cellphone video showing ferocious waves spilling over the promenade along East Brigantine Avenue on Saturday, pushing two bike racks aside and splashing Mayor Vince Sera.

— Madeleine Wright, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of splashing

Verb

On Facebook, Lee’s account displayed a picture of the young Chinese man from behind, rippling shoulders framed in a weight lifter’s tank top.

— Eamon Javers, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2026
Located within the Coyote Buttes North permit area near the Utah border, its rippling sandstone formations can only be visited with a permit.

— Staff Author, Travel + Leisure, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of rippling

Verb

Today, those springs feed five geothermal pools, with temperatures reaching up to 102 degrees and contain minerals like manganese, silicate, and zinc, in a magical setting marked by gurgling fountains and 100-year-old redwood and eucalyptus trees.

— CNT Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
After years of stomach-gurgling, nail-chewing anxiety, this was an entirely different Arsenal experience.

— Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of gurgling

Verb

The core readings showed that skyrocketing fuel prices, particularly diesel, are trickling down.

— Steve Kopack, NBC news, 15 Oct. 2026
Nick Lardis is trickling down the lineup, Byram hasn’t produced enough power-play opportunities, and the forwards outside of the Cole Smith, Ryan Greene and Jordan Greenway line have not been consistent.

— Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of trickling

Verb

With these conspiracy theories swirling, some researchers are now seeing the models more as competitors than tools—and the use of them as a betrayal.

— Peter Hall, Scientific American, 13 Oct. 2026
And while there are questions swirling about Akayleb Evans and whether Evans will be replaced by Chau Smith-Wade, one player didn’t get the same scrutiny.

— Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of swirling

Browse Nearby Words

bubbles

bubbling

bubbly

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Bubbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bubbling. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of bubbling

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

compunction

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes