whiplash

noun

whip·​lash ˈ(h)wip-ˌlash 

1

: the lash of a whip

2

: something resembling a blow from a whip

… the whiplash of fear …

—R. S. Banay

3

: injury resulting from a sudden sharp whipping movement of the neck and head (as of a person in a vehicle that is struck from the rear by another vehicle)

Examples of whiplash in a Sentence

He got whiplash when his car was rear-ended.

Recent Examples on the Web

The baseline at some mountains has shifted toward more weather whiplash, rather than consistent freezing temperatures and snow. —Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025

The result often feels like tonal whiplash as the production attempts to scratch several itches without truly satisfying any. —Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Nov. 2025

This can result in a kind of emotional whiplash, with the tone of the videos lurching between joy and devastation. —Lindsay Lowe, Parents, 8 Nov. 2025

Teams can swap in cleaner headlines and page descriptions and add internal links that carry readers from update to explainer without whiplash. —Malana Vantyler, Ascend Agency, 6 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1580, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for whiplash

• backlash
• chumash
• eyelash
• moustache
• mustache
• noncash
• potash
• rehash
• ash
• bash
• brash
• cache

Kids Definition

whiplash

noun

whip·​lash -ˌlash 

1

: the lash of a whip

2

: injury resulting from a sudden sharp jerking movement of the head and neck (as of a person in a car that is struck from behind by another car)

Medical Definition

whiplash

noun

whip·​lash ˈhwip-ˌlash, ˈwip- 

: injury resulting from a sudden sharp whipping movement of the neck and head (as of a person in a vehicle that is struck head-on or from the rear by another vehicle)