whack

WAK/wæk/

Noun pluralwhacks

18 meanings of whack

1
verbtransitive
To hit someone or something hard, often making a loud noise.
Don't whack your brother with that pillow!
He whacked the table to get everyone's attention.
Similarhit, strike, smack, thwack, bash
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2
nouncountable
A hard hit, like a slap or a knock.
She gave the old TV a whack, and the picture came back.
One whack from the hammer drove the nail all the way in.
Similarthwack
3
nouncountable
The loud sound something makes when it is hit hard.
We heard the whack of the bat from across the field.
The screen door shut with a loud whack.
Similarthwack
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4
nounslangUScountable
A try, a turn, or a chance to do something.
Can I have a whack at the video game next?
She took a whack at fixing the leaky faucet herself.
Similarshot, crack, stab, go (entry), try
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5
verbslangtransitive
To kill someone, often because a criminal gang ordered it.
The gang boss ordered his men to whack the witness.
In the movie, the gangsters whacked anyone who talked to the police.
Similarkill, murder, assassinate, ice, waste
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6
verbtransitive
To beat another team or player by a lot.
I hope we whack them in the final on Saturday.
Their school whacked ours ten to one in the soccer game.
Similarthrash, trounce, crush, rout, hammer
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7
nounslang
Alternative spelling of wack. It means something is bad or disappointing.
That new phone case is pure whack. It broke in a week.
Everyone at school agreed the show's ending was straight whack.
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8
adjectiveslang
Alternative spelling of wack. Use it to say something is bad or not cool.
That party was so whack that we left after an hour.
It's whack that the pool closes right when summer starts.
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9
nouncountable
A swing or hit you take at something, even if you miss.
He took a wild whack at the ball and missed completely.
Her first whack at the golf ball sent grass flying but nothing else.
Similarswing, swipe, swat, stroke
10
verbslangtransitive
To split money or things so each person gets a part.
Like cutting a cake so everyone gets a piece.
The kids whacked up the candy after trick-or-treating.
Let's whack the prize money between the four of us.
Similarsplit, divide, share
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11
noundatedcountable
A person's part or share of something, often a big one.
Each kid got a whack of the candy from the piñata.
“It’s damned tame, whatever it is, comin’ in here at feedin’ time an’ gettin’ its whack of fish.”
1906, Jack London, White FangHere, whack means a share or portion, its full share of fish.
Similarshare, portion, cut
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12
verbUKtransitive
To be better than someone or something else, to beat.
You can't whack a proper cup of tea on a cold morning.
The new chip shop whacks the old one for fresh, hot chips.
Similarbeat, surpass, top, better, outdo
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13
nounslangcountable
The slanted line ⟨ \ ⟩ on a computer keyboard, the one that leans backward.
Like a little stick leaning backward instead of forward.
Type a whack before the file name to finish the path.
The whack key sits just above the Enter key on many keyboards.
Similarbackslash
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14
noundateduncountable
An illegal drug also called PCP or angel dust.
The police found whack hidden under the car seat.
He got very sick after smoking whack at a party.
SimilarPCP
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15
verbSingaporeSinglishtransitive
To eat something very fast, often because you are in a hurry.
He whacked his lunch in five minutes and went back to work.
Whack your cereal down. We leave in two minutes!
Similarwolf, bolt, gulp, scoff
Oppositesavor
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16
verbSingaporeSinglishtransitive
To try to do something you do not know how to do, without a plan.
I had never fixed a bike before, but I whacked it and it worked.
Don't wait for the manual. Just whack it and see what happens.
Similarwing, improvise
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17
nounobsoleteUS
A deal or agreement that people make together.
'Two dollars for the whole basket?' 'It's a whack,' said the farmer.
"I'll stay if you will." "Good—that's a whack."
1876, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], The Adventures of Tom SawyerHere, whack means a deal or agreement.
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18
nounobsolete
The act of splitting money or goods into shares for each person.
The whack came after supper, when each kid counted out an equal pile of coins.
When the trip was over, the men gathered for the whack and split the money evenly.
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Practice

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Origin

This word first came from Scottish English. It probably imitates the sound of a hard hit.