1
2
as in blow
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
gave the wasp's nest a good whack with the bat
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in bang
a loud explosive sound
the whack echoed around the field
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to hit
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
whacked the vending machine to get the candy bar to fall
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to assassinate
slang
to put to death deliberately
without a second thought the mob boss had them whacked
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 whack
Jason Ma, Fortune, 3 May 2026
When life becomes an endless game of whack-a-mole, the only winning move is to stop playing.
—Big Think, 1 May 2026
Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
But when the arena expands from stocks to anything-you-can-wager-on, the definition of inside information gets slippery, enforcement becomes legal whack-a-mole, and the edge goes to whoever moves fastest into the regulatory gaps.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 7 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for whack
Noun
By that point, pricing will be completely out of whack.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 3 May 2026
When life becomes an endless game of whack-a-mole, the only winning move is to stop playing.
—Big Think, 1 May 2026
Verb
In that sense, tweaking AI can be akin to playing whack-a-mole.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
But when the arena expands from stocks to anything-you-can-wager-on, the definition of inside information gets slippery, enforcement becomes legal whack-a-mole, and the edge goes to whoever moves fastest into the regulatory gaps.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 7 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for whack
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whack
Noun
-
In an attempt at shoring up the currency, Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month urged citizens to pause gold purchases, conserve fuel, and avoid overseas travel.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
5 June 2026
-
Not just a lethal injection problem Carruthers survived a lethal injection attempt, but execution failures have not been confined to that method.—
Austin Sarat,
The Conversation,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
At that pace, even a tiny micrometeoroid has the ability to impart a significant kinetic blow upon striking a spacecraft en route to the moon, with potentially disastrous results for the astronaut crew inside.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
7 June 2026
-
Sánchez had the big blow with a two-run shot.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 June 2026
Noun
-
The 79th Tony Awards telecast kicked off with a bang by giving out two major awards in the first 30 minutes — and before viewers could blink both John Lithgow and Laurie Metcalf had each won the third Tony Award of their careers.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
-
Hawn wore a black suit with colorful floral embellishments, along with her signature bangs.—
Meg Walters,
InStyle,
7 June 2026
Verb
-
The Rockies’ Kyle Karros hit an opposite-field line drive that carried to the right-field warning track, but Lee tracked down the potential extra-base hit on the run, then crashed into the chain-link portion of the fence.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
30 May 2026
-
The hitting coaches have been really emphasizing it.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
In 1979, Pamela’s father, Lord Louis Mountbatten, was assassinated by the IRA when a bomb exploded aboard his fishing boat.—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
5 June 2026
-
In the 1970s, Eugene Hart was convicted of threatening the president after his brother reported Hart’s plan to assassinate President Richard Nixon.—
Wayne Unger,
The Conversation,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Through three tedious roll calls, Roosevelt forces bartered with delegations and finally put their man over the top on the fourth try when House Speaker John Nance Garner folded his candidacy in exchange for the vice presidential nomination.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
6 June 2026
-
Give this a try and then graduate to your favorite cuts of steak!—
Laura Manzano,
Martha Stewart,
5 June 2026
Noun
-
Burke, a Dodgers teammate, had provided the setup for the pioneering hand slap, a spontaneous response to a homer that Baker hit in 1977.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
-
Will Smith won his only Best Actor Oscar in the title role, leading to his infamous onstage slap of Chris Rock during the 2022 ceremony.—
Erik Pedersen,
Deadline,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
Hijras use a distinctive hand clap using the flats of their hands.—
Charles Preston,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
28 May 2026
-
Other players, especially the younger players and newcomers, did head over toward La Familia and give them waves and claps.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whack. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
