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

Any time England bowled full, he whacked through the covers or straight.

From BBC

Financial stocks get whacked first because banks live and die on repo markets working smoothly.

From MarketWatch

Linehan "deliberately whacked" the phone and threw it in the road outside a conference last October, his trial was told.

From BBC

It had become so dirty during her travels that the Swanburne laundry had volunteered to take a whack at cleaning it.

From Literature

She wagged her tail so hard that it whacked the admiral repeatedly on the side of his leg.

From Literature

Related Words

• wallop