- a variation of wack.
whack
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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whacks,
present (3rd person singular)
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whacked,
past participle, past
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whacking
present participle
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to strike with a smart, resounding blow or blows.
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Slang. to divide into or take in shares (often followed byup ).
Whack the loot between us two.
verb (used without object)
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whacks,
present (3rd person singular)
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whacked,
past participle, past
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whacking
present participle
noun
verb phrase
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whack out to produce quickly or, sometimes, carelessly.
She whacks out a short story every week or so.
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whack off
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to cut off or separate with a blow.
The cook whacked off the fish's head.
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Slang: Vulgar. to masturbate.
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idioms
noun
verb
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to strike with a sharp resounding blow
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informal (usually passive) to exhaust completely
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informal (tr; usu foll by in or on) to put something on to or into something else with force or abandon
whack on some sunscreen
noun
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slang (tr) to murder
if you were out of line you got whacked
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a sharp resounding blow or the noise made by such a blow
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informal a share or portion
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informal a try or attempt (esp in the phrase have a whack at )
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informal out of order; unbalanced
the whole system is out of whack
interjection
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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whacksimple
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whackssimple
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have whackedperfect
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has whackedperfect
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am whackingprogressive
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are whackingprogressive
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is whackingprogressive
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have been whackingperfect progressive
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has been whackingperfect progressive
Past
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whackedsimple
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had whackedperfect
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was whackingprogressive
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were whackingprogressive
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had been whackingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of whack
First recorded in 1710–20; originally dialect, Scots form of thwack; cf. whang 2, whittle
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.
See Examples For:
“We have a red-flag system here, where if there’s anything that gets really out of whack, they can immediately tag the milk, and it doesn’t go to anything but cheese,” McAfee told me.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
"Having to play with an insole throughout my entire career threw the rest of my body out of whack."
From BBC ● May 29, 2026
A bright sky is a signal that it’s daytime, so getting that signal at night throws all of that out of whack.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2026
Trump later told reporters that a gunman he described as a "lone wolf" and a "whack job" had charged through security screening just outside the ballroom.
From Barron's ● Apr. 26, 2026
We were all shaken up from the run-in with Mikayla, but Dari was seriously out of whack if he was apologizing for being hit on the head.
From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller
Tech shares have taken their share of whacks in the past few months.
From Barron's ● Jan. 7, 2026
Speculative effort from Martina Piemonte, who from around 40 yards out whacks the ball towards the Arsenal goal.
From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2024
“FDA whacks one product and then the manufacturers get around it and the kids get around it,” said Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, a Stanford University psychologist who develops anti-vaping educational materials.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 30, 2023
The Angels’ superstar whacks a line-drive homer in the third inning and has two doubles in a 10-3 win over Minnesota.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2022
He smiles, then whacks the box with the back of his hand so that it falls over and its contents spill onto the floor.
From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson
Indeed, as the band, including Jim James of My Morning Jacket, Lewis and Schwartzman, performed the Bobby Fuller Four’s single “Let Her Dance,” Murray indeed whacked the hell out of that thing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026
The economy may be less like a tire swing that always bounces back after being whacked with a stick, and more like a piñata that eventually bursts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 14, 2026
Mitchell finished unbeaten on 25 off 14 balls while Santner whacked 17 not out off eight as New Zealand won with 13 balls to spare.
From BBC ● Feb. 8, 2026
The latest market driver is his selection of Kevin Warsh as the next Federal Reserve boss, which has lifted the dollar, hit bond prices and whacked precious metals.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 30, 2026
Anya paused for a moment, then whacked the dirt bars of the cage away.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
So now he’s whacking Canada harder for punching back.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
After whacking the ball into the stands in frustration, Parry regained her composure to eventually see out the straight-set victory after two hours and 26 minutes.
From BBC ● May 19, 2026
Markets are treading water due to other concerns too—notably private credit and ongoing fears about artificial intelligence whacking software and services companies.
From Barron's ● Feb. 20, 2026
But Root held his nerve, whacking a six and a four to regain control and Sam Hain struck the winning runs with a ball to spare.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2025
Only as we were whacking the mud off our boots by the huts where the sports gear's kept did Mr. McNamara remember the three boys he'd sent to the bridge over forty minutes ago.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
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.
