1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

smites

verb

present tense third-person singular of smite
as in slaps
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner he shall smite his enemies with a mighty fist

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of smites In Steel Nomad Light, the new Adreno GPU certainly smites the implementation of the old Adreno in the two Snapdragon X Elite systems here, delivering a bit more than double the score. — Wendy Sheehan Donnell, PC Magazine, 29 Sep. 2025 The flip side occurs when an area with good yields when bad weather smites the crop nationally. — Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 17 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smites
  1. slaps
  2. smacks
  3. knocks
  4. hits
  5. slams
  6. claps
  7. strikes
  8. whacks
Verb
  • Soto, looking irritated, reaches out and slaps him upside the head.
    — Sylvia Varnham O’Regan, Vanity Fair, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Helmut Haller, West Germany vs England, 1966 Ray Wilson misjudges his headed clearance, Haller gathers it on the edge of the box and, just before Bobby Moore can close him down, slaps a right-footed shot into the far corner.
    — Adam Hurrey, New York Times, 17 July 2026
Definition of slaps
Verb
  • Other gamblers just don’t want to get swindled, so anything that smacks too clearly of insider trading can get you in trouble.
    — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Byerley smacks the schmuck in the face and wins the election.
    — Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of smacks
Verb
  • When a headline knocks a stock down, the useful question is whether anything inside the business moved.
    — Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Brink is no stranger to the injury bug, as this is just the latest in a series of knocks the Sparks center has taken recently.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of knocks
Verb
  • Miami starter Tyler Phillips (5-6) allowed 3 runs and 5 hits over 5 innings.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Sep. 2026
  • There is a 16-person cast, about half of which is Chicago-based, and a six-piece live band, knocking out the Ellington hits.
    — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of hits
Verb
  • At a pivotal moment in the film, Ledger’s Joker positions a pencil on a table, and later slams a man’s head into it.
    — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Hawaii is under a state of emergency as Hurricane Lowell slams the islands with life-threatening rain.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of slams
Verb
  • After the tragedy in the stadium, Haymitch claps in front of the mostly empty, save for guards and Peacekeepers, stands.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The hugs, smiles and claps around the FDJ Suez bus told a different story, however.
    — Jessica Hopkins, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of claps
Verb
  • What strikes me most, after years of studying these traditions, is the pace.
    — Pardis Mahdavi, The Conversation, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Sitting somewhere between a loafer and a pump, this Proenza Schouler shoe strikes the perfect balance.
    — Madeline Fass, Vogue, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of strikes
Verb
  • With runners on the corners, Martinez whacks a two-run, RBI double to tie it at five.
    — Zoe Collins Rath, Austin American Statesman, 27 Mar. 2026
  • Then little Holly Wheeler and her 10-year-old friends, including the Season 5 favorite Derek (Jake Connelly), all swarm into the basement and take over the D&D table in a passing of the torch that basically whacks the audience over our collective heads.
    — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025
Definition of whacks

Browse Nearby Words

smite
smites
smith
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Smites.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smites. Accessed 20 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of volition

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All