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
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.
Verb
When Mario raises his hammer, Luigi can whack it from below and send Mario somersaulting into a foe to deal extra damage with slapstick glee. Josh Broadwell, Rolling Stone, 4 Nov. 2024 Stanley Black & Decker reported mixed quarterly results before Tuesday’s opening bell, and the stock got whacked. Zev Fima, CNBC, 29 Oct. 2024
Noun
How a sore foot can throw a person’s entire perspective out of whack. The Know, The Denver Post, 3 Nov. 2024 Simone, the wrecking agent, causes tenuous systems to spin out of whack, with the events coming close to, but never approaching, real tragedy. Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for whack 

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 21 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
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