have/take a whack at

phrase

US, informal

: to try to do (something)

She took a whack at solving the puzzle.

Examples of have/take a whack at in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Then, in the final act, there’s a hugely satisfying, usually drunken throwdown in which every single person gets to take a whack at the piñata. — Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2026

The Big Story In their appropriations bill, House Republicans take a whack at the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) budget, proposing to slash its funding by 23 percent. — Rachel Frazin, The Hill, 15 July 2025

In their appropriations bill, House Republicans take a whack at the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) budget, proposing to slash its funding by 23 percent. — Rachel Frazin, The Hill, 15 July 2025

The failure of right-wing critiques, which even the congenitally pessimistic business press now concedes, created an opportunity for moderate conservatives to take a whack at Bidenomics. — Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 18 Aug. 2023

Fill a piñata to the brim with all your favorite treats, and let everyone take a whack at it! — Alison Allsopp, Country Living, 4 Jan. 2023