bobbings
Quick up-downs
Bobbings are repeated quick up-and-down or back-and-forth movements.
The word captures multiple instances of bobbing—heads bobbing in a crowd, boats bobbing on waves, apples bobbing in water at a Halloween party.
The bobbings of the buoys marked the channel entrance.
Staying atop liquid
- buoysAnchored floating signals
- corksBark-derived bottle stoppers
- wavesTraveling energy disturbances
- surfaceOutermost boundary layer
dipping · rising · bobber · fishing · ducking · swimmers · ripples · buoyancy
Moving head affirmatively
- curtsyingFormal feminine bow
- bowingBending forward in deference
- greetingExpression of welcome
- acknowledgmentConfirmation of receipt
dipping · pecking · jerking · gesturing · assenting · reverence · politeness · ducking
Springing back repeatedly
- jigglingShaking with light, rapid motion
- oscillatingSwinging back and forth
- swayingRhythmic lateral movement
- dippingBrief immersion action
rhythmic · dancing · pulsing · vibrating · undulating · springing · rebounding · rocking
floating
Staying atop liquid
surface · dipping · rising · bobber · fishing · ducking · swimmers · ripples · buoyancy · treading
nodding
Moving head affirmatively
acknowledgment · dipping · pecking · jerking · gesturing · assenting · reverence · politeness · ducking · genuflecting
bouncing
Springing back repeatedly
- jigglingShaking with light, rapid motion
- oscillatingSwinging back and forth
- swayingRhythmic lateral movement
dipping · rhythmic · dancing · pulsing · vibrating · undulating · springing · rebounding · rocking · teetering
styling
Arranging for appearance
pageboy · vintage · flapper · shingled · cropped · twenties · coiffure · salon · cutting · trimming
bobbingsstillness
Complete lack of motion
motionlessness · immobility · stasis · fixedness · rigidity
- bobbing for applesHands-free fruit retrieval
- apple bobbingBiting fruit from water
- head bobbingRepeated vertical head motion
- bobbin laceThread twisted around weighted spools