spanks 1 of 2

noun

plural of spank
as in slaps
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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spanks

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of spank
as in smacks

Related Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for spanks
  1. slaps
  2. smacks
  3. blows
  4. thumps
  5. whacks
  6. knocks
  7. punches
  8. whips
Noun
  • Devers petulantly left the field, avoided handshakes and butt slaps in the dugout, and retreated to the clubhouse.
    — Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026
  • Whoever loses slaps the other in the face with a tortilla, usually causing water to spray out of their mouth.
    — Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 17 June 2026
Definition of slaps
Verb
  • The boy smacks him in the mouth and then immediately starts crying.
    — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 28 Apr. 2026
  • An attack rears its ugly head, and the security team smacks it down.
    — Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026
Definition of smacks
Noun
  • Holloway, even a Holloway who is nearing the end of his career with a somewhat suspect chin and ability to absorb heavy blows, wins this fight more times than not.
    — Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
  • Rolling with the punches, though, is harder when the blows keep landing on the starting rotation.
    — Jesús Cano, New York Times, 7 July 2026
Definition of blows
Verb
  • Aledo thumps Colleyville Heritage, Joshua next Tiara Butler dropped in 13 points to lead Aledo to a 48-21 win over Colleyville Heritage in a Class 5A Division I bi-district playoff on Monday.
    — Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Feb. 2026
  • Pam thumps down to earth, all four chair legs on the floor.
    — Allegra Goodman, New Yorker, 4 Jan. 2026
Definition of thumps
Noun
  • In the opening minute alone, Murphy shot just wide off a turnover and Josefin Bouveng set up Madison Kaiser for a couple of whacks from the edge of the blue paint that were both stopped.
    — Mike Cook, Twin Cities, 14 Mar. 2026
  • The star then grabbed a bat and took several whacks at a colorful piñata shaped like a cascaron.
    — René Guzman, San Antonio Express-News, 4 Feb. 2026
Definition of whacks
Verb
  • My parents tell stories about me sleeping through loud construction, alarms, and heavy knocks on my bedroom door.
    — Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 July 2026
  • Palestra instead knocks it past him with his right foot with great balance in a tight space.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 27 June 2026
Definition of knocks
Noun
  • But the Azteca started to change that, with that long second half rearguard, the deep 5-3-1, those endless headers and blocks and punches.
    — Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 12 July 2026
  • Still, no punches thrown from his direction on the way out, beyond the social-media trail that seemingly precipitated the Friday fracas with Adebayo.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 11 July 2026
Definition of punches
Verb
  • Instead of floating crosses in, Saka either whips his deliveries low near the six-yard box or works a slightly more central position to cut the ball back with a firmer connection.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 26 June 2026
  • The vessel bends, blocks, and whips the wind into complex micro-currents before the air ever hits the sails.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 2 June 2026
Definition of whips
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

spanking
spanks
spanned
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Cite this Entry

“Spanks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spanks. Accessed 16 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on spanks

Nglish: Translation of spanks for Spanish Speakers

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