as in slapping
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
he smacked the punching bag one final time before heading to the showers
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Recent Examples of smacking
Really, there’s only one character onstage who commands an audience’s attention, and that’s Hines’ gum-smacking sister-in-law, who turns from antagonist to supporter.
—
Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, 22 Sep. 2025
Cal Raleigh tied Mickey Mantle for most home runs in one season for a switch hitter after smacking his 54th dinger yesterday.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Troy Dye replaced Perryman, smacking Mahomes with a pair of solid hits on scrambles, and is likely to fill in again if Perryman can’t play.
—Elliott Teaford, Oc Register, 12 Sep. 2025
In the middle, a president who promised to put both conflicts to bed – and whose talk of a Nobel Peace Prize is smacking up against the reality of the Gaza and Ukraine wars.
—Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2025
Montgomery gave the White Sox a 3-1 lead, smacking a two-run single to right field.
—Field Level Media, Reuters, 12 Aug. 2025
Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, 22 Sep. 2025
Cal Raleigh tied Mickey Mantle for most home runs in one season for a switch hitter after smacking his 54th dinger yesterday.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Troy Dye replaced Perryman, smacking Mahomes with a pair of solid hits on scrambles, and is likely to fill in again if Perryman can’t play.
—Elliott Teaford, Oc Register, 12 Sep. 2025
In the middle, a president who promised to put both conflicts to bed – and whose talk of a Nobel Peace Prize is smacking up against the reality of the Gaza and Ukraine wars.
—Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2025
Montgomery gave the White Sox a 3-1 lead, smacking a two-run single to right field.
—Field Level Media, Reuters, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smacking
Verb
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By slapping a $100,000 filing fee on H=1B visas, the White House has declared the days of cheap labor pipelines and visa abuse officially over.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
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On the knee-to-knee collision between each team’s superstar, Collier badly rolled her left ankle and was lying on the floor and slapping the court with her hand as Thomas made her drive.—
Mike Cook,
Twin Cities,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Tire tread depth - Checking your tire tread before hitting the road is important, as low or no tread can lead to sliding.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Oct. 2025
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The Dodgers are one of the better teams in baseball at hitting changeups from lefties like Sánchez.—
Charlotte Varnes,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Even 6 inches of moving water can pose a serious risk of knocking you off your feet.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
28 Sep. 2025
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The clash with Hamlin ended badly after the 44-year-old driver made contact while trying to overtake Gibbs, knocking him out of the race.—
Saajan Jogia,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Kirk followed Guerrero the next inning, slamming the first of his two homers over the outfield wall.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
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Nonprofit watchdog group Human Rights Watch and fellow comedians like David Cross and Marc Maron, however, are saying otherwise, accusing the festival of deflecting from the country's human rights violations and slamming their peers for their involvement.—
Jessica Wang,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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While they were lined up, members put on boxing gloves and took turns punching the pledges four times in the chest, according to the petition.—
Jennifer Rodriguez,
Miami Herald,
30 Sep. 2025
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Jahmai Jones’ two-run single in the top of the fifth proved the difference, punching Detroit’s ticket to the playoffs and ensuring the Tigers would go into Game 162 with a chance to claw back the AL Central title from the insurgent Cleveland Guardians on the final day of the regular season.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
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For many, banging them in against the likes of Konyaspor and Goztepe last term is not a convincing retort to those questions.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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In a trial that began Wednesday, six Cubans, including independent journalist José Gabriel Barrenechea, also face sentences of up to nine years in prison for staging a cacerolazo protest, banging pots and pans during a blackout in the Villa Clara province in November 2024.—
Nora Gamez Torres,
Miami Herald,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The robot showcased exemplary skills with the bat, whacking the ball precisely in a rally of over 100 shots with human-like agility.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Sep. 2025
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New York put the screws to its division rival on Tuesday, whacking nine home runs to cruise to a 13-3 victory.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Wearing a yellow fringed dress, Jauregui spun and shook her hips alongside a safety vest-wearing Armstrong, ending the performance by quick-stepping over to the cocktail table, where her bandmates and Bankhead were smiling and clapping in celebration.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
1 Oct. 2025
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Carey said, clapping after celebrating her VMAs victories.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smacking. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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