whack

1 of 2

verb

whacked; whacking; whacks

transitive verb

1
a
: to strike with a smart or resounding blow
whack the ball
b
: to cut with or as if with a whack : chop
2
chiefly British : to get the better of : defeat
3
slang : murder, kill

intransitive verb

: to strike a smart or resounding blow
whacker noun

whack

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: a smart or resounding blow
also : the sound of or as if of such a blow
b
: a critical attack
2
3
4
a
: an opportunity or attempt to do something
take a whack at it
b
: a single action or occasion
borrowed $50 all at one whack
Phrases
out of whack
1
: out of proper order or shape
threw his knee out of whack
2
: not in accord
feeling out of whack with her contemporariesS. E. Rubin

Examples of whack in a Sentence

Verb She whacked the piñata with a stick. The old man lifted his cane and whacked the mugger on the head. They were whacking through the jungle with their machetes. He got whacked by mobsters. Noun The pile of books hit the floor with a whack. took a whack at solving the math problem
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
After being freed from his chains, Daryl whacked his way through walkers and guerriers alike to come face to face with… Carol. Charlie Mason, TVLine, 20 Oct. 2024 The side of his helmet smacked the face mask of linebacker Quay Walker, and the back of it whacked the ground as Walker wrestled him down. Alex Prewitt, WIRED, 17 Oct. 2024
Noun
Rudolph hopes that the time is finally right for audiences to appreciate the film’s lunacy and vision of an America whose values have gone completely out of whack. Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 29 Oct. 2024 Byrne adds that getting enough food is important, too, as eating too few calories can throw your body out of whack. Jessie Van Amburg, SELF, 29 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for whack 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'whack.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

probably imitative of the sound of a blow

First Known Use

Verb

1719, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1736, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of whack was in 1719

Dictionary Entries Near whack

Cite this Entry

“Whack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whack. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

whack

1 of 2 verb
ˈhwak How to pronounce whack (audio)
ˈwak
: to hit or cut with a hard noisy blow
whacked the ball into left field
whacker noun

whack

2 of 2 noun
1
: a hard noisy blow
also : its sound
2
: try entry 2, attempt
take a whack at it

More from Merriam-Webster on whack

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!