smack dab
Americanadverb
Etymology
Origin of smack dab
First recorded in 1890–95; smack 2 ( def. ) (in the sense “directly, straight”) + dab 1 ( def. ) (in the sense “a quick, light blow,” used adverbially)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For the last few days, smack dab in the middle of his long-awaited breakthrough at USC, Arenas was sick.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2026
Everyone’s favorite analog diarist is smack dab in the middle of a universe ruled by tech.
From Salon • Feb. 13, 2025
Among the cities smack dab in the action: Dallas; Little Rock, Arkansas; Indianapolis, Cleveland; Buffalo, New York; and Montreal — making for the continent’s biggest eclipse crowd.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 12, 2024
Sanders has the Buffaloes smack dab in the center of the college football universe this week courtesy a 45-42 win at then-No.
From Washington Times • Sep. 5, 2023
“That’s fine,” she says, “but this time, you’re going to make the basement presentable, or else you’ll be ringing in the New Year on the couch, smack dab in between your dad and me.”
From "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
