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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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spanks
Noun
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Touted as the second-highest fine ever levied by the board, many observers struggled to view it as anything but the gentlest of wrist slaps.—
DAVID AMSDEN,
Rolling Stone,
29 Aug. 2025 -
They were then categorized by behavior, including jumps, belly rolls, tail slaps, bow riding and even petting.—
Brendan Rascius,
Miami Herald,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Andor hates him on sight, which only intensifies when Berend smacks around his mother and tears up the apartment looking for proof that Klára has deceived the boy with idealized fictions about his origins.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Aug. 2025
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Vocals are sped up into squiggles, instruments are reversed and gated, percussion smacks you in the face and then suddenly vanishes.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
16 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The assailant stopped mid-speech and delivered two blows straight to Antao’s face.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
27 Sep. 2025
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Large companies can absorb the blows, but the dry cleaner, toy importer, or family-run retailer cannot.—
Jacob Bennett,
Fortune,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In one incident, a predator, confirmed by a state biologist to have been a wolf, attacked an elk on the front steps of a home in Sierra County as the college-age son of the owner cowered inside, alone and afraid amid the growls and thumps that were shaking the front door.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Deeper down the road the slap of the drooping tropical tree branches against the windshield are like punishing whacks to the face for trying to force a metaphor.—
Matt Negrin,
Rolling Stone,
20 Sep. 2025
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Brush off hair and debris from the surface, then give it a few whacks against the inside of the trash can to knock out some of the dust.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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First, any major event such as a the emergence of DeepSeek that knocks the AI thesis could have a sizeable impact on the stock market.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
24 Sep. 2025
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In the video posted on the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Public Records Unit YouTube channel, Flores can be seen lifting his head up after an officer knocks on the driver's door window of his stationary vehicle.—
Alex Nitzberg,
FOXNews.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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But when the weather turns crisp, visitors should turn their attention to the interior of the park, where New England hardwoods like oak, maple, and beech offer punches of color to the evergreen forest.—
Graham Averill,
Outside,
26 Sep. 2025
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Even after three seasons, the series still delivers unexpected twists and gut-punches.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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So unless Benito uncharacteristically whips out a slate of cover songs, his set will be entirely in Spanish.—
Maya Georgi,
Rolling Stone,
29 Sep. 2025
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So the magnetic field has to stay synchronized with the increasing mass of the particle, ramping up in strength as the particle whips around.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
23 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Spanks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spanks. Accessed 3 Oct. 2025.
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