1
2
as in blows
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 claps
a loud explosive sound
the whack echoed around the field
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in slaps
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 assassinates
slang
to put to death deliberately
without a second thought the mob boss had them whacked
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of whacks
Matt Negrin, Rolling Stone, 20 Sep. 2025
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
Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025
Fed up with Nicky’s dramatics, Lester uses his elevator crank and whacks the former hard in the back of his neck.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
Fanning flatlines when left to be a solo show as Bertino whacks her around like a pinball, hitting big, loud scares that seem to keep resetting.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 11 Oct. 2025
Noun
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
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
Then little Holly Wheeler and her 10-year-old friends, including the Season 5 favorite Derek (Jake Connelly), all swarm into the basement and take over the D&D table in a passing of the torch that basically whacks the audience over our collective heads.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025
Fed up with Nicky’s dramatics, Lester uses his elevator crank and whacks the former hard in the back of his neck.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
Fanning flatlines when left to be a solo show as Bertino whacks her around like a pinball, hitting big, loud scares that seem to keep resetting.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 11 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whacks
Noun
-
The dominance started on the first possession, when UConn controlled three offensive rebounds, though its effort was fruitless after four tries.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
3 Feb. 2026
-
His goal was the first the team had scored with a man advantage in 27 tries.—
Kalen Lumpkins,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Cheap drinks soften emotional blows.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
11 Feb. 2026
-
But researchers worry that repeated, less dramatic blows, such as heading the ball, can also have long-term effects; there is evidence that players who regularly head the ball are at greater risk of dementia than those, such as goalkeepers, who do not.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Lots of claps all around, as production in the area is still down significantly over five-year averages.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Oscar-winning composer Daniel Blumberg was tasked with layering in claps, stomps and screams.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Boston Blue slaps a fresh coat of paint on Blue Bloods, the CBS procedural that ended its 14-season run last year.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Dec. 2025
-
Speaking with Cocoa Butter about her most memorable roles, Calloway revealed that the moment Ike slaps Jackie came across so emotional and raw because the stunt went wrong.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
5 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Salah, who had five attempts, has failed to score in his last seven league appearances.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Minnesota made just eight of 33 three-point attempts and committed 20 turnovers while being held under 100 points for just the second time this season.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In Guyana’s capital city of Georgetown, neighbors can still hear the thumps.—
Tyler Jett,
Des Moines Register,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Monica Monica tapped Ricky Wing to slick her hair in a high ponytail and trim micro bangs just above her brows.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Olivia Wilde looked so different debuting a golden-blonde mullet with fluffy bangs.—
Christina Perrier,
InStyle,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Opportunity knocks on software stocks, including Microsoft (MSFT), Salesforce (CRM), and ServiceNow (NOW), which all got slammed in Thursday's trading amid pressure on the software sector ETF (IGV) from artificial intelligence (AI) disruption concerns.—
Jeff Kilburg,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Julio Cesar Chavez suffers his first loss in 91 fights when Frankie Randall knocks him down in the 11th round and wins the WBC super lightweight championship on a split decision.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whacks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whacks. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.
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