Thesaurus results for SPANK

spank 1 of 2

noun

Definition of spank

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

Relevance

spank

2 of 2

verb

as in to smack

Related Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for spank

Noun

Chmerkovskiy has since apologized for his comments referencing Will Smith’s infamous slap at the 2022 Oscars.

— Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
The Wild, who have played all season without first-pair defenseman Brock Faber due to a skull fracture, lost forward Nico Sturm in the first period when he was hit on the side of the head by teammate Jared Spurgeon's slap shot.

— CBS News, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of slap

Verb

Eventually, Bird’s film — with a script co-written by Matthew Robbins — gets to the meat of the action when Venus’ extremely complicated life runs smack into Ray and his knack for sniffing out bad guys.

— Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 10 Oct. 2026
The Eagles also have been smacked with injuries and played without several key starters.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of smack

Verb

Nantz tried to knock the ball from Watt, but hit his wrist hard on the football and immediately grabbed his hand.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
But several people who played key roles in knocking the two candidates off the ballot have close ties to the congressman’s political operation.

— Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of knock

Verb

Canada banged awkwardly into Williams’ knee on a box out during her late free throws and the Valkyries star was being cared for by an athletic trainer on the bench in the waning moments.

— Janie McCauley, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
Canada banged awkwardly into Williams’ knee on a box out during her late free throws and the Valkyries’ star was being cared for by an athletic trainer on the bench in the waning moments.

— Janie McCauley, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of bang

Noun

The model became the first real hit in the emerging athletic shoe industry.

— Phil Wahba, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
While many operational details remain undisclosed, the military’s confirmation of the hit and distance distinguishes this shot from several longer claims.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of hit

Verb

Fire crews scrambled late Saturday as fierce winds whipped flames beyond Canadian Forces Base Wainwright and into the surrounding rural area.

— Rob Gillies, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
Fire crews scrambled late into the night as fierce winds whipped flames beyond Canadian Forces Base Wainwright and into the surrounding rural area.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of whip

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.

Browse Nearby Words

spangling

spank

spanked

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Spank.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spank. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of spank

noun

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

puissant

Popular in Grammar & Usage

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

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

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

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes