spanking
Americanadjective
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moving rapidly and smartly.
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quick and vigorous.
a spanking pace.
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blowing briskly.
a spanking breeze.
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Informal. unusually fine, great, large, etc.; remarkable; distinctive.
a spanking monogram in gold embroidery.
adverb
adjective
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informal outstandingly fine, smart, large, etc
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quick and energetic; lively
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(esp of a breeze) fresh and brisk
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of spanking
1660–70; perhaps < Scandinavian; compare Danish, Norwegian spanke, Swedish spånka to strut
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.
Sharon Schmeling, one of the couple’s children, said her father told her the surgery went well and that her mother had a “brand spanking new knee.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 8, 2025
The spanking the 49ers took could do that.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 28, 2023
Still, Judge Alia Moses had delivered a serious spanking to the federal government, saying it was wrong in arguing it had to cut the wire to carry out its mission to apprehend and detain migrants.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 19, 2023
She debunks myths about spanking, including the idea that physical discipline of children has roots in Africa.
From Slate ● Apr. 21, 2023
“Don’t you want to see the world?” she’d say, rolling out the dough for pierogi and then spanking it with her palm.
From "Bone Gap" by Laura Ruby
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.
