whiplash
Americannoun
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an abrupt snapping motion or change of direction resembling the lash of a whip.
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Also whiplash injury. a neck injury caused by a sudden jerking backward, forward, or both, of the head.
Whiplash resulted when their car was struck from behind.
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Also called whiplash curve. a connected series of reverse curves of more or less elliptical form, used as a major design motif in the Art Nouveau style.
verb (used with object)
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to beat, hit, throw, etc., with or as if with a whiplash.
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to affect adversely, as by a sudden change.
new taxes whiplashing corporate earnings.
noun
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a quick lash or stroke of a whip or like that of a whip
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med See whiplash injury
Etymology
Origin of whiplash
First recorded in 1565–75; 1950–55 whiplash for def. 6; whip + lash 1
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.
Leveraged ETFs tied to chipmaker SK Hynix were pummeled Tuesday, amid a punishing selloff in semiconductor stocks this month as whiplash around the powerful artificial-intelligence trade continues.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Even the most well-adjusted person isn’t immune to the discomfort of emotional whiplash.
From Salon ● May 30, 2026
EM economies are taking the brunt of the whiplash.
From Barron's ● May 23, 2026
The Japanese automaker reported a $2.7 billion loss amid EV whiplash in the U.S., its biggest market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
They shot away from the island so quickly, Piper almost got whiplash; but it wasn’t a second too soon.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
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.
