as in slapping
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
he smacked the punching bag one final time before heading to the showers
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of smacking
In Los Angeles, Jonathon Redondo-Rosales was charged with assault for smacking an agent with a hat after a car struck him.
—
Oriana Van Praag, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2026
But a leadoff walk in the top of the 9th allowed Eugenio Suárez to knock in what would prove to be the winning run, smacking a double to left center field and scoring pinch runner Javier Sonoja.
—CBS News, 18 Mar. 2026
Her furious attempts to extricate herself from Ramirez ended with her smacking her head on the parking lot asphalt and Ramirez hitting her in the right eye, according to the arrest report.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 9 Mar. 2026
Shepard attached the head of a 6-iron golf club to his sample collecting tool and was recorded smacking a couple golf balls across the lunar landscape.
—Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 6 Feb. 2026
But the night version of this sport requires players to really play tennis, rather than simply smacking the ball.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Things often turn uglier after nightfall, when the convoys return and the protesters sometimes grow angrier, shaking fences and occasionally smacking passing cars.
—Tim Sullivan, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2026
My long-term goals are more important than smacking.
—Magi Helena, Dallas Morning News, 15 Jan. 2026
Sparks from the electrical discharges -- akin to static electricity here on Earth -- are clearly audible amid the noisy wind gusts and dust particles smacking the microphone.
—Marcia Dunn The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 27 Nov. 2025
Oriana Van Praag, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2026
But a leadoff walk in the top of the 9th allowed Eugenio Suárez to knock in what would prove to be the winning run, smacking a double to left center field and scoring pinch runner Javier Sonoja.
—CBS News, 18 Mar. 2026
Her furious attempts to extricate herself from Ramirez ended with her smacking her head on the parking lot asphalt and Ramirez hitting her in the right eye, according to the arrest report.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 9 Mar. 2026
Shepard attached the head of a 6-iron golf club to his sample collecting tool and was recorded smacking a couple golf balls across the lunar landscape.
—Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 6 Feb. 2026
But the night version of this sport requires players to really play tennis, rather than simply smacking the ball.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Things often turn uglier after nightfall, when the convoys return and the protesters sometimes grow angrier, shaking fences and occasionally smacking passing cars.
—Tim Sullivan, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2026
My long-term goals are more important than smacking.
—Magi Helena, Dallas Morning News, 15 Jan. 2026
Sparks from the electrical discharges -- akin to static electricity here on Earth -- are clearly audible amid the noisy wind gusts and dust particles smacking the microphone.
—Marcia Dunn The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 27 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smacking
Verb
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Airlines across the region, like Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific are slapping hefty fuel surcharges on flights; Vietnam and the Philippines are even weighing whether to ground planes.—
Nicholas Gordon,
Fortune,
29 Mar. 2026
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But every so often there comes a day that is so different—so unusual—so spectacular that its happening can only be chalked up to old-fashioned, knee-slapping good luck.—
Letters to the Editor,
Hartford Courant,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Gerhardt Konig hoped Thursday to persuade a Hawaiian jury that hitting his wife repeatedly with a rock was self-defense.—
April 2,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
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The film also was shown at a number of other festivals before hitting the awards circuit as the Palestinian entry for this year’s Academy Awards.—
Zach Dennis,
Charlotte Observer,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Those of us not actually knocking hung back in the stairwell; even so, some residents were hesitant to engage.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
2 Apr. 2026
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In the fall, residents learn about the process through public service announcements, local media, door-knocking outreach or word of mouth.—
Celina Su,
The Conversation,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The wing struck the roof of a home before slamming into an exterior wall of a second home next door.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
1 Apr. 2026
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The pair have been in physical altercations in the past, including Manning's 2012 arrest for allegedly punching, scratching, kicking and choking Hartman – whom media outlets have referred to as Manning's former make-up artist and assistant – and slamming her head against the floor and wall.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The man responded by punching the child's father in the nose, court documents said.—
Nick Lentz,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
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Michigan made a statement on Sunday, punching its ticket to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.—
Rowan Fisher-Shotton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The oil shortage has also affected public services and food transportation, prompting rare protests in some cities, with citizens banging pots and pans and lighting bonfires in the darkness.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
30 Mar. 2026
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Many of us at City Hall also have been banging our heads against the wall about it, but the situation is more grim than most Chicagoans realize.—
Bill Conway,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Matt is carrying a stick and whacking flowers.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
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Tien and Chang plan to be on the ground in Houston and out whacking balls come Monday.—
Dale Robertson,
Houston Chronicle,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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A lot of the percussion in the score, in fact, is the Wells Cathedral school kids clapping and stomping.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
25 Mar. 2026
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An early scene sees the twins caught up in a flurry of breathless games, clapping in unison, finishing each other’s rhymes.—
Rhoda Feng,
Vulture,
23 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smacking. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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