whack

[ hwak, wak ]

/ ʰwæk, wæk /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: whack / whacked / whacking on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to 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.

verb (used without object)

to strike a smart, resounding blow or blows.

noun

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.

Verb Phrases

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.

SYNONYMS FOR whack

5 try, go, turn.

See synonyms for whack on Thesaurus.com

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON PARENTHESES AND BRACKETS APLENTY!

Set some time apart to test your bracket symbol knowledge, and see if you can keep your parentheses, squares, curlies, and angles all straight!

Question 1 of 7

Let’s start with some etymology: What are the origins of the typographical word “bracket”?

First appeared around 1750, and is related to the French word “braguette” for the name of codpiece armor.

First appeared in 1610, based on the French word “baguette” for the long loaf of bread.

First appeared in 1555, and is related to the French word “raquette” for a netted bat.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms for whack

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

Origin of whack

First recorded in 1710–20; originally dialect, Scots form of thwack; cf. whang², whittle

OTHER WORDS FROM whack

whacker, noun

Words nearby whack

WGA, W. Ger., Wh, WHA, whachamacallit, whack, whacked, whacked-out, whacking, whack off, whacky

Definition for whack (2 of 2)

whack²

[ hwak, wak ]

/ ʰwæk, wæk /

noun, adjective

wack¹.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for whack

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.
The member of Congress who’s trying to stop QAnon|Rebecca Heilweil|October 9, 2020|Vox
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 Diego
Telepath’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 Review
A 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 Students

CFOs 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.
Hooray for Liberal Fear-Mongering!|Michael Tomasky|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
Why 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|DAILY BEAST
Apple 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|DAILY BEAST
First, Herz argues, our ability to weigh risk is out of whack, because CrossFit is more like a sport than a Pilates class.
Inside the Cult of CrossFit|William O’Connor|May 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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. Ballantyne
When 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 Starr
Tim 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

whack

/ (wæk) /

verb (tr)

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 abandonwhack on some sunscreen

noun

(tr) US slang to murderif 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; unbalancedthe whole system is out of whack

interjection

an exclamation imitating the noise of a sharp resounding blow

Derived forms of whack

whacker, noun

Word Origin for whack

C18: perhaps a variant of thwack, ultimately of imitative origin

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

Idioms and Phrases with whack

whack

In addition to the idioms beginning with whack

whacked out
whack off

also see:

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

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

whack

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

Verb Phrases

SYNONYMS FOR whack

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON PARENTHESES AND BRACKETS APLENTY!

Idioms for whack

Origin of whack

OTHER WORDS FROM whack

Words nearby whack

Definition for whack (2 of 2)

noun, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for whack

British Dictionary definitions for whack

verb (tr)

noun

interjection

Derived forms of whack

Word Origin for whack

Idioms and Phrases with whack

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

whack

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

Verb Phrases

SYNONYMS FOR whack

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON PARENTHESES AND BRACKETS APLENTY!

Idioms for whack

Origin of whack

OTHER WORDS FROM whack

Words nearby whack

Definition for whack (2 of 2)

noun, adjective

Words related to whack

Example sentences from the Web for whack

British Dictionary definitions for whack

verb (tr)

noun

interjection

Derived forms of whack

Word Origin for whack

Idioms and Phrases with whack