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
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 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
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
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 Sabres, who still haven’t won a road game in five tries, play their next three games on the road against the Utah Mammoth, Colorado Avalanche and Detroit Red Wings, three teams that are rolling early in the season.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Zacha stuck with it and tapped home the GWG, giving the B’s their fourth win in as many tries in extra time this season.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The groundbreaking research penetrated the last moments of the young nobleman, who suffered a terrible 26 blows.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Despite major strides in the right direction, the push for a greener future has been dealt several devastating blows from a fraught supply chain, economic headwinds and political setbacks.—
Katherine Fung,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The joyous screams and claps of hundreds of high school students boomed outside the sanctuary at Murewa Centre Mission of the United Methodist Church.—
Liam Adams,
Nashville Tennessean,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Stewart said to massive claps from the audience.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The tarp slaps the frame of the truck’s roof.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
-
As the scrum disperses, D’Angelo turns to you and slaps you five.—
Touré,
Rolling Stone,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Even on low volume from deep (seven attempts), that’s a recipe for offensive success, and it was reflected in Mizzou’s 50 first-half points.—
Scott Chasen,
Kansas City Star,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Her clarion voice slices through the show’s labored attempts to be both fable and fabulous.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
From curled bangs to metallic glamour, take a look at 7 of the best celebrity beauty moments from the week.—
Essence,
Essence,
9 Nov. 2025
-
However, the actress was toying with the idea of bangs, a familiar choice for those who’ve succumbed to the burgeoning bob trend in Hollywood such as Pamela Anderson, Zoë Kravitz and Ayo Edebiri.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
However, when a wealthy telecommunications CEO knocks on their door and reveals his plans to regain the public’s trust in supers, the Parrs are all in.—
Yasmeen Hamadeh,
PEOPLE,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Latin social dance is a place where people leave their worries at the door, but in Chicago, fear over immigration crackdowns knocks anyway.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA Today,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Freddy, through Jesse, antagonizes and murders a lot of men.—
Mike Ryan,
IndieWire,
31 Oct. 2025
-
He was convicted and sentenced to 14 years in prison, but his guilt came into question in 1982 when investigators connected the Locci and Lo Bianco murders to the 1974, 1981, and 1982 slayings.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Whacks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whacks. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share