as in giant
unusually large
harvested a whacking number of zucchini from the garden
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in extremely
to a great degree
the clown wore a whacking big pair of shoes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in smacking
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
whacked the vending machine to get the candy bar to fall
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in murdering
slang
to put to death deliberately
without a second thought the mob boss had them whacked
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of whacking
Panashe Matemba-Mutasa, Mercury News, 27 May 2026
And the crowd clearly expected that pucks whacking the nets would be at a premium in this series, too.
—ABC News, 4 May 2026
But, really, just being on the island feels like meditative wellness, including taking a golf club and a biodegradable ball from the island shop and whacking it into the sea.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Ultimately, the Yanks would spend 2 hours and 45 minutes on the court, meaning 2023 champion Tiafoe, who had prevailed in two previous marathons, wound up whacking balls for eight-plus hours in his ultimately futile bid for reach a fourth consecutive final here.
—Dale Robertson, Houston Chronicle, 4 Apr. 2026
And Matt was whacking them with his stick.
—Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
His young nephew provided the entertainment, whacking a plastic ball around with a toy club on the lawn, replicating pro golf mannerisms a little too closely.
—Gabby Herzig, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2026
These plays are often brilliant, and even lesser variants are fun to watch, because piñata-whacking itself is a naughty thrill, a cathartic fantasy for anyone with a family and/or a secret.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2026
Next thing, authorities told media outlets, a 63-year-old player allegedly punched an opponent and then used his pickleball paddle as a weapon, whacking a 70-year-old in the face.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
Verb
Larry Hayes, 86, and Bill Moniz, 79, hit the tennis courts in Mountain View three to four times a week — whacking balls across the net as teammates for one to three hours a week.
—Panashe Matemba-Mutasa, Mercury News, 27 May 2026
And the crowd clearly expected that pucks whacking the nets would be at a premium in this series, too.
—ABC News, 4 May 2026
But, really, just being on the island feels like meditative wellness, including taking a golf club and a biodegradable ball from the island shop and whacking it into the sea.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Ultimately, the Yanks would spend 2 hours and 45 minutes on the court, meaning 2023 champion Tiafoe, who had prevailed in two previous marathons, wound up whacking balls for eight-plus hours in his ultimately futile bid for reach a fourth consecutive final here.
—Dale Robertson, Houston Chronicle, 4 Apr. 2026
And Matt was whacking them with his stick.
—Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
His young nephew provided the entertainment, whacking a plastic ball around with a toy club on the lawn, replicating pro golf mannerisms a little too closely.
—Gabby Herzig, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2026
These plays are often brilliant, and even lesser variants are fun to watch, because piñata-whacking itself is a naughty thrill, a cathartic fantasy for anyone with a family and/or a secret.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2026
Next thing, authorities told media outlets, a 63-year-old player allegedly punched an opponent and then used his pickleball paddle as a weapon, whacking a 70-year-old in the face.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whacking
Adjective
-
The museum’s centerpiece is the historic Percy & Small Shipyard, the nation’s only surviving shipyard from the large wooden vessel era and the site where the giant schooner Wyoming was built.—
USA TODAY Network,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
-
According to this theory, those now-extinct megafauna—the giant ground sloths and the giant beavers, the mastodons and mammoths, and even the lions and dire wolves—were relatively quickly hunted to extinction.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
Adverb
-
According to Outword Magazine Fred Palmer, the owner of Scott’s, Alan Irvine, is extremely gay supportive and has hosted numerous events for both Outword and the Rainbow Chamber of Commerce (see below).—
Sean Timberlake,
Sacbee.com,
12 June 2026
-
The whole episode is a reminder to product designers everywhere that users can be extremely sensitive to the seemingly smallest changes — and Spotify clearly had not anticipated that a teeny-tiny disco ball drop would prove to be unpopular.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
As the match got away from her in the second set and the Court Philippe-Chatrier crowd became increasingly hostile, Andreeva fully unraveled, smacking another ball towards the roof and asking members of her box to leave.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
-
Parents Alexus Benavidez and Rauf Scott of Collin County filed a complaint this month against Kids ‘R’ Kids of Lawler Farm in Frisco, alleging their 3-year-old son was the victim of excessive physical force that included yanking, spanking and smacking the toddler.—
Lina Ruiz
May 14,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
In December 2025, Nick Reiner was arrested on suspicion of murdering his parents, beloved filmmaker Rob Reiner and photographer/producer Michele Reiner.—
Allison DeGrushe,
StyleCaster,
16 June 2026
-
Mangione is accused of stalking and murdering Brian Thompson, age 50, a health insurance executive and father of two, on a Manhattan street in 2024.—
Brian Mann,
NPR,
15 June 2026
Adjective
-
Those tours largely became about Son, attracting huge crowds to games and fan events.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
12 Dec. 2025
-
Meta, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft all run very profitable businesses, and can afford these huge capital outlays.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
11 Dec. 2025
Adverb
-
But Jake comes really damn close.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
People.com,
3 July 2025
-
Her short red hair is a great fit for the eerie atmosphere and also just looks pretty damn great.—
Jihane Bousfiha,
Vulture,
2 July 2025
Verb
-
In the run-up to the elections, Russia upped pressure on its ally by slapping import bans on Armenian products, including fresh fruit, flowers and spirits.—
Nathan Hodge,
CNN Money,
8 June 2026
-
Home plate umpire Dan Iassogna called a third strike, but Madrigal argued with the umpire, emphatically slapping his head.—
Liana Handler,
Los Angeles Times,
7 June 2026
Verb
-
Since the start of the war in 2022, Ukrainian military intelligence has claimed responsibility for assassinating several senior Russian officers, some of whom have appeared on a public list of Ukraine’s enemies.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
10 June 2026
-
Yes, assassinating their leaders might have played into that.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
25 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whacking. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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