spank

1 of 3

verb (1)

ˈspaŋk 

spanked; spanking; spanks

transitive verb

: to strike especially on the buttocks with the open hand

spank

2 of 3

noun

plural spanks

: an act of spanking : a sharp slap or blow to the buttocks usually with the palm of the hand

A variety of approaches have been tried for dealing with this problem, ranging from gently holding the child in the chair to a quick spank, but it is not yet clear which of these approaches is most effective …

—David A. Lieberman

spank

3 of 3

verb (2)

spanked; spanking; spanks

intransitive verb

: to move quickly, dashingly, or spiritedly

spanking along in his new car

Synonyms

Noun

• bang
• bash
• bat
• beat
• belt
• biff
• blow
• bop
• box
• buffet
• bust
• chop
• clap
• clip
• clout
• crack
• cuff
• dab
• douse [British]
• fillip
• hack
• haymaker
• hit
• hook
• knock
• larrup [dialect]
• lash
• lick
• pelt
• pick
• plump
• poke
• pound
• punch
• rap
• slam
• slap
• slug
• smack
• smash
• sock
• stinger
• stripe
• stroke
• swat
• swipe
• switch
• thud
• thump
• thwack
• wallop
• welt
• whack
• wham
• whop
• whap

Examples of spank in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Konstantine Anthony, the Democratic mayor of Burbank, California, was seen in a viral Libs of TikTok video being spanked by drag queen Foxxy Roxywood at a campaign event over the weekend. —Heather Hunter, Washington Examiner, 11 Sep. 2023

Children who are spanked, for example, showed greater activation in several regions of their medial and lateral prefrontal cortex when they were asked to view images of different faces. —Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 5 Sep. 2023

Then they got spanked by the struggling Cardinals, resulting in a sweep. —Julian McWilliams, BostonGlobe.com, 26 June 2023

That’s like giving someone a hug and a spanking them at the same time. ... —Mark Heim | [e-mail], al, 14 June 2023

In Soviet preschool, our teachers had spanked us, we would get yelled at for e.g., not having the motor skills to embroider the Kremlin. —Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 14 July 2022

According to the University of New Hampshire, as of 2019, 37 percent of kids in the United States were spanked regularly — a rate that increases among Black children. —Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2023

There’s plenty of evidence that shows spanking kids does more harm than good. —Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2023

In Oklahoma, nearly 4,000 students were spanked or paddled during that school year — including 853 students with disabilities. —María Luisa Paúl, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2023

Noun

Monroe grabbed him, gave him a spank and sent him back on course. —Steve Knopper, Billboard, 6 Apr. 2022

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Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

imitative

Verb (2)

back-formation from spanking

First Known Use

Verb (1)

circa 1712, in the meaning defined above

Noun

circa 1785, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1788, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

spank

verb

ˈspaŋk

: to strike on the buttocks with the open hand

spank noun