whack

¹ American  

[hwak, wak] / ʰwæk, wæk /

verb (used with object)

1. to strike with a smart, resounding blow or blows.

2. Slang. to divide into or take in shares (often followed byup ).

   Whack the loot between us two.

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verb (used without object)

1. to strike a smart, resounding blow or blows.

noun

1. a smart, resounding blow.

   a whack with his hand.

2. Informal. a trial or attempt.

   to take a whack at a job.

   Synonyms:

   turn, go, try

3. Slang. a portion or share.

verb phrase

1. whack out to produce quickly or, sometimes, carelessly.

   She whacks out a short story every week or so.

2. whack off

   1. to cut off or separate with a blow.

      The cook whacked off the fish's head.

   2. Slang: Vulgar. to masturbate.

idioms

1. out of whack, out of order or alignment; not in proper condition.

whack ² American  

[hwak, wak] / ʰwæk, wæk /

noun

1. a variant of wack.

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whack British  

/ wæk /

verb

1. to strike with a sharp resounding blow

2. informal (usually passive) to exhaust completely

3. 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

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noun

1. slang (tr) to murder

   if you were out of line you got whacked

2. a sharp resounding blow or the noise made by such a blow

3. informal a share or portion

4. informal a try or attempt (esp in the phrase have a whack at )

5. informal out of order; unbalanced

   the whole system is out of whack

interjection

1. an exclamation imitating the noise of a sharp resounding blow

whack More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing whack

• have a crack (whack) at
• out of kilter (whack)

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Other Word Forms

• whacker
  noun

Etymology

Origin of whack

First recorded in 1710–20; originally dialect, Scots form of thwack; cf. whang ², whittle

Example Sentences

“It doesn’t have to be: OK, you can’t touch the tree, or, we’re going to whack the tree back so much that you can’t stand to look at it,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026

“My immune system and digestive system got all out of whack over the past couple of three years,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 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

Torsten Slok, Apollo chief Economist, thinks something is out of whack in the Treasury market.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026

A man dat ups and buys two hundred acres uh land at one whack and pays cash for it.”

From "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston

Related Words

• wallop