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

Because pain is so subjective—and because of the difficulty in substantiating conditions such as whiplash and soft-tissue damage—surgery had the benefit not just of running up the clinical expense of an accident but also of seeming to ratify its legitimacy. —Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026

Redick has stuck to that messaging over the last three days, despite the emotional whiplash of the last 96 hours, a season irreversibly reset heading into the first round of the NBA playoffs in 10 days. —Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 8 Apr. 2026

The backdrop for this standoff is the whiplash from the 2021 IPO boom when global IPO proceeds surpassed $600 billion across roughly 2,600 to 3,000 deals. —Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 7 Apr. 2026

Several scientists this week pointed to these extremes and the whiplash between extremes as potential evidence of the warming climate. —Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026

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)