as in slap
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
delivered a quick spank to the child's bottom for disobedience
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spank
Noun
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Then that final line, where Benedict asks Sophie to be his mistress, is just a slap to the senses.—
Yvonne Villarreal,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2026 -
Yes, the Old Fashioned is typically a boozy, whiskey-forward, slap-you-across-the-face thing, and, yes, chamomile is typically a bedtime, steaming mug, snuggle-up-under-a-blanket thing.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In his defense, Barnett took the stand to say there was no murder plot and that Thomas threatened him for the money using physical violence — knocking out a tooth, injuring his left shoulder, and smacking his private parts.—
Sydney Pereira,
Miami Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
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Stiddy is the guy who throws no-look passes in practice and talks smack to the starting defense.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Jin Shin has come across some monster potholes over the last couple of weeks, including one in Koreatown that rattled his car with a sickening thump and another near the airport where its depth was obscured by water.—
Alex Wigglesworth,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Jan. 2026
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Twitchy enough to line up off the edge or run with a tight end in the slot, Fisher (6-1, 231) is a bit small but brings enough thump to be the type of linebacker who never has to leave the field.—
Nick Baumgardner,
New York Times,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Three weeks after the beating, the FBI tracked Fakroune to an apartment in New York and knocked on the door.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
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Production may dip slightly in winter, but South Florida’s short stretches of sweatshirt weather aren’t enough to knock populations back significantly.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The pressure pushed the Panamanian government to exit Xi’s Belt and Road Initiative – a symbolic blow for Beijing.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
31 Jan. 2026
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The restaurant weathered the blows of COVID-19, but the relationship between Valente and his partners was strained.—
Sean Timberlake,
Sacbee.com,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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My ten-year-old granddaughter was marching and banging her little saucepan with a salad spoon.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
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Libby and director Tyne Rafaeli certainly do not miss an opportunity to bang that gavel.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Despite a disappointing launch back in 2016, the developers stuck with it and have crafted a wildly successful and long-running space sim that feels like a greatest hits montage of all the games that came before it.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
31 Jan. 2026
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Jacob in the kind of Shoresy and Letterkenny family, which were more cult hits, but did well.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Even then, though, leadership didn’t whip against the bill, which ultimately passed with seven Democrats voting in favor.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
30 Jan. 2026
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In an age when polarized politics have whipped extremists into a frenzy and disagreeing with someone’s views justifies physical assault among fringe elements, the assault on Omar is a new abysmal milestone of societal degradation.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
29 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Spank.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spank. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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