whack
1to strike with a smart, resounding blow or blows.
Slang. to divide into or take in shares (often followed by up): Whack the loot between us two.
to strike a smart, resounding blow or blows.
a smart, resounding blow: a whack with his hand.
Informal. a trial or attempt: to take a whack at a job.
Slang. a portion or share.
whack off,
to cut off or separate with a blow: The cook whacked off the fish's head.
Slang: Vulgar. to masturbate.
whack out, Slang. to produce quickly or, sometimes, carelessly: She whacks out a short story every week or so.
Idioms about whack
out of whack, Informal. out of order or alignment; not in proper condition.
Origin of whack
1Other words for whack
Other words from whack
- whack·er, noun
Words Nearby whack
Other definitions for whack (2 of 2)
a variant of wack1.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use whack in a sentence
So, on the one hand, it’s like they’re playing whack-a-mole with extremists without necessarily being willing to change the design of the social network that’s built to elevate extremism.
Yet the county still prohibits the sale of cannabis, meaning deputies are constantly engaged in a game of whack-a-mole with illegal shops.
Dems Want Control of the County – Here’s What They Say They’d Do With it | Jesse Marx | October 7, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoTelepath’s name policy is meant to make sure the content moderation team can fully focus on spotting abuse rather than playing whack-a-mole with burner accounts.
A new social-media platform wants to enforce “kindness.” Can that ever work? | Tanya Basu | October 7, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewA nicer environment could reset to normal the stress responses that had been thrown out of whack by early-life trauma, these studies showed.
Puberty may reboot the brain and behaviors | Esther Landhuis | August 27, 2020 | Science News For StudentsCFOs overwhelmingly think the valuation for stocks is out of whack, with 84% of respondents describing equities as overvalued.
Hurricane Laura and the Fed pack a one-two punch, pushing global stocks lower | Bernhard Warner | August 27, 2020 | Fortune
Say the Democrats: When all else fails, whack them on Social Security.
But this new flavor of rhetorical flimflam is still pretty, well, whack.
What Did You Do in the Targeted Action, Daddy? | John McWhorter | September 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWhy is he dialing down the humor and dialing up the moralizing, throwing his immaculate comedic balance out of whack?
Why I Fell in Love With ‘Louie’ Again, Artistic Pretensions and All | Andrew Romano | June 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTApple is working on an automatic alert system that rings a doctor if blood sugar or blood pressure gets out of whack.
Apple Health App Plays to Our Laziness—and It’s Brilliant | Gregory Ferenstein | June 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTFirst, Herz argues, our ability to weigh risk is out of whack, because CrossFit is more like a sport than a Pilates class.
Queeker brought the handle of his riding-whip whack down on the flank of his astonished horse, and flew at the fence.
The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands | R.M. BallantyneWhen I'd read about a half a minute, he fetched the book a whack with his hand and knocked it across the house.
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Complete | Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)No; I take en whack de bill in two, en give half un it to you, en de yuther half to de yuther woman.
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Complete | Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)Then our trunks broke loose and went crashing back and forth at each other, whack, bang, with a vicious delight.
Gardens of the Caribbees, v. 1/2 | Ida May Hill StarrTim gave the monster a whack with his paddle, which made it quickly sink again.
In the Wilds of Florida | W.H.G. Kingston
British Dictionary definitions for whack
/ (wæk) /
to strike with a sharp resounding blow
(usually passive) British informal to exhaust completely
(tr; usu foll by in or on) informal to put something on to or into something else with force or abandon: whack on some sunscreen
(tr) US slang to murder: if you were out of line you got whacked
a sharp resounding blow or the noise made by such a blow
informal a share or portion
informal a try or attempt (esp in the phrase have a whack at)
out of whack informal out of order; unbalanced: the whole system is out of whack
an exclamation imitating the noise of a sharp resounding blow
Origin of whack
1Derived forms of whack
- whacker, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with whack
In addition to the idioms beginning with whack
- whacked out
- whack off
also see:
- have a crack (whack) at
- out of kilter (whack)
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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