smack

1 of 7

noun (1)

1
: characteristic taste or flavor
also : a perceptible taste or tincture
2
: a small quantity

smack

2 of 7

verb (1)

smacked; smacking; smacks

intransitive verb

1
: to have a taste or flavor
2
: to have a trace, vestige, or suggestion
a proposal that smacks of treason

smack

3 of 7

noun (2)

: a sailing ship (such as a sloop or cutter) used chiefly in coasting and fishing

smack

4 of 7

verb (2)

smacked; smacking; smacks

transitive verb

1
: to close and open (lips) noisily and often in rapid succession especially in eating
2
a
: to kiss with or as if with a smack
b
: to strike so as to produce a smack

intransitive verb

: to make or give a smack

smack

5 of 7

noun (3)

1
: a quick sharp noise made by rapidly compressing and opening the lips
2
: a loud kiss
3
: a sharp slap or blow
4
US, informal : boastful or insulting language especially between opponents : smack talk, trash talk
usually used in the phrase talk smack
The college basketball season is barely a month old, yet the top two candidates for national player of the year are already talking smack.Grant Wahl

smack

6 of 7

adverb

: squarely and sharply : directly
smack in the middle

smack

7 of 7

noun (4)

slang
: heroin

Examples of smack in a Sentence

Adverb She dropped the book smack in the middle of the table. The ball hit me smack in the face.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
How no kid just went bounce [smack motion] is beyond me. Megan Farokhmanesh, WIRED, 29 Feb. 2024 Stephens suddenly found that his acreage was smack dab in the best place in the world to apply these new techniques. Christopher Helman, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024 This time, the talking baby has a diminutive friend, with the tiny pair taking on adult competitors in a game of pickleball while talking financial planning instead of smack. Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2024 Who is the guy who talks the most smack in practice? Jacob Steinberg, Baltimore Sun, 12 Feb. 2024 This puts the 2026 FIFA World Cup smack in the middle of the wildfire season, which has only worsened with the onset of climate change — blanketing both coasts last summer. Vitas Carosella, Forbes, 11 Feb. 2024 Keith seemed to enjoy talking smack as much as defending America, almost like a wrestler in a feud. Nadine Smith, Rolling Stone, 6 Feb. 2024 Do so in nearby preserves like Jackson Demonstration State Forest, Russian Gulch State Park, and Otis R. Johnson Wilderness Park, a local favorite smack dab in the middle of town. Chelsee Lowe, Travel + Leisure, 5 Feb. 2024 Speaking of which, Kathy's out on the sun porch talking smack about her competitors with Susan, April, and Nancy. Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 13 Oct. 2023
Verb
Don’t fall down and smack your head on the pavement at this news, but there’s a new Miranda Priestly in town. Anna Chan, Billboard, 19 Feb. 2024 Before Miami’s Cano Health declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy last week, the state smacked one of the healthcare company’s locations with an emergency license suspension order. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 11 Feb. 2024 The pair share a tense exchange, which ends with Dalton smacking Harris across the face. Shania Russell, EW.com, 31 Jan. 2024 Otto Lopez later smacked a two-run home run in the inning. Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2024 Ariana ignores Schwartz but Jesse says a cordial hello back, signaling his place in all of the drama: smack dab in the middle. Krystie Lee Yandoli, Rolling Stone, 7 Feb. 2024 In one, a young chimp lightly smacks her mother’s back, then sprints a short distance to cautiously gauge her response; in another, a male gorilla ambushes his mom from behind with a galloping jump attack. Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2024 The crowd got a showstopper, from the artist smack dab in the middle of that night’s lineup. Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 12 Feb. 2024 The Kia smacked the inside wall and began heading across the highway. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 11 Feb. 2024
Adverb
The account of how Yentl came to be falls smack in the middle of Streisand’s new, nearly 1,000-page memoir, My Name Is Barbra, and for that reason alone is an important keystone for understanding her. Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 7 Nov. 2023 Then came the extracurricular activities that could have been easily predicted since both coaching staffs were talking smack before the game in front of players. Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2023 The debut came smack in the middle of the actors’ and writers’ strikes. Rebecca Angelo, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2023 The fact that the N.B.A. draft occurred smack in the middle of the Paris men’s wear shows was something of a cosmically appropriate coincidence. Vanessa Friedman, New York Times, 23 June 2023 The sharks’ diets fell smack between a pure herbivore and a pure carnivore, the researchers report, meaning whale sharks are actually omnivores. Roni Dengler, Discover Magazine, 16 Jan. 2019 But the concerns about environmental fallout ran smack into a wall of decades-old law. Ken Ward Jr., ProPublica, 26 Apr. 2023 Yet those preferences are running smack into a push by employers to get people back in the office. Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2023 The famous brothers break down plays, talk smack to each other and welcome special guests. Dallas News, 28 Sep. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'smack.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English smæc; akin to Old High German smac taste and probably to Lithuanian smaguris sweet tooth

Noun (2)

Dutch smak or Low German smack

Verb (2)

akin to Middle Dutch smacken to strike

Noun (4)

perhaps from Yiddish shmek sniff, whiff, pinch (of snuff)

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1533, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1557, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (3)

1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

1782, in the meaning defined above

Noun (4)

circa 1960, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of smack was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near smack

Cite this Entry

“Smack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smack. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

smack

1 of 5 noun
1
: characteristic or slight taste or flavor
2
: a small quantity

smack

2 of 5 verb
: to have a flavor, trace, or suggestion

smack

3 of 5 verb
1
: to close and open the lips noisily especially in eating
2
: to kiss usually loudly
3
: to make or give a sharp slap or blow

smack

4 of 5 noun
1
: a quick sharp noise made by rapidly opening and closing the lips
2
: a loud kiss
3
: a sharp slap or blow

smack

5 of 5 adverb
: in a square and sharp manner : directly
hit me smack in the face
Etymology

Noun

Old English smæc "a characteristic taste or flavor"

More from Merriam-Webster on smack

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