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; whang ², whittle

Example Sentences

I walked over to the snag, spit on my hands, and started whacking away with my club.

From Literature

Then all the trolls started whacking each other, and they rolled and wrestled on the ground.

From Literature

It was a perfectly paced innings, showing his wish for batters not to be "too careful" does not simply mean whack boundaries from every ball.

From BBC

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

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

Related Words

• wallop