1
: characteristic taste or flavor
also
: a perceptible taste or tincture
2
: a small quantity
smacked; smacking; smacks
1
: to have a taste or flavor
2
: to have a trace, vestige, or suggestion
a proposal that smacks of treason
: a sailing ship (such as a sloop or cutter) used chiefly in coasting and fishing
smacked; smacking; smacks
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
: to make or give a smack
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
Grant WahlExamples of smack in a Sentence
Noun (1)
add just a smack of vanilla to the whipped cream and the dessert will be perfect
Verb (2)
he smacked the punching bag one final time before heading to the showers
Noun (3)
the cook gave him a smack on the wrist when he tried to sneak an early taste of the sauce
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
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Mar. 2026
The same guy who prefers hanging with his dog, Uno, and watching Netflix off the court is a smack-talking chirper on it.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 19 Mar. 2026
Oriana Van Praag, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2026
An attack rears its ugly head, and the security team smacks it down.
—Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026
Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026
To talk smack in realtime during the ceremony, go to r/Oscars on Reddit or pick a topical feed on Bluesky.
—Michael Calore, Wired News, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for smack
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Noun
No restaurant does classic Roman quite like Piatto Romano, a cluttered trattoria smack dab in the middle of Testaccio.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Mar. 2026
The same guy who prefers hanging with his dog, Uno, and watching Netflix off the court is a smack-talking chirper on it.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 19 Mar. 2026
Verb
In Los Angeles, Jonathon Redondo-Rosales was charged with assault for smacking an agent with a hat after a car struck him.
—Oriana Van Praag, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2026
An attack rears its ugly head, and the security team smacks it down.
—Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026
Adverb
The Bulls forward said his on-court temperament was molded by his experience playing under longtime Chicago AAU coach Mac Irvin, who always preached that once a player started talking smack in a game, the player had to uphold that same intensity through the final whistle.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026
To talk smack in realtime during the ceremony, go to r/Oscars on Reddit or pick a topical feed on Bluesky.
—Michael Calore, Wired News, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for smack
Cite this Entry
“Smack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smack. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
smack
1 of 5 noun1
: 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 verb1
: 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 noun1
: 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"
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