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

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
Noun
Rome’s nonstop blabbing about the dos and don’ts of fishing have gotten most of the tribe wound up, though ignoring him and talking smack behind his back seem to be a salve. Nick Caruso, TVLine, 2 Oct. 2024 Heat seems to be an effective weapon against the waxy crayon critters, while a good smack will dissolve chalk monsters into poofs of colored dust. Peter Debruge, Variety, 17 Sep. 2024
Verb
Paramount Global is getting ready to smack Nielsen with a ruler. Brian Steinberg, Variety, 26 Sep. 2024 And still others think the People's Flag with City Hall smack in the middle gives the new design a sense of place. Alison Dirr, Journal Sentinel, 24 Sep. 2024
Adverb
But on that day in Tokyo, as skating made its Olympic debut beneath a fiery sun, Huston ran smack into one of the undeniable truths of his sport. David Wharton, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2024 What about a date change so that the festival doesn’t fall smack in the middle of the high tourist season? Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 19 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for smack 

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 9 Oct. 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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