as in giant
unusually large
harvested a whacking number of zucchini from the garden
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in extremely
to a great degree
the clown wore a whacking big pair of shoes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in smacking
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 murdering
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 whacking
ABC News, 4 May 2026
But, really, just being on the island feels like meditative wellness, including taking a golf club and a biodegradable ball from the island shop and whacking it into the sea.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Ultimately, the Yanks would spend 2 hours and 45 minutes on the court, meaning 2023 champion Tiafoe, who had prevailed in two previous marathons, wound up whacking balls for eight-plus hours in his ultimately futile bid for reach a fourth consecutive final here.
—Dale Robertson, Houston Chronicle, 4 Apr. 2026
Matt is carrying a stick and whacking flowers.
—Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
His young nephew provided the entertainment, whacking a plastic ball around with a toy club on the lawn, replicating pro golf mannerisms a little too closely.
—Gabby Herzig, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2026
These plays are often brilliant, and even lesser variants are fun to watch, because piñata-whacking itself is a naughty thrill, a cathartic fantasy for anyone with a family and/or a secret.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2026
Rio’s staunch griminess, dreaming of whacking his brother and wanting to cut his nephew’s tongue for snitching, drags Fxce out into the open sea.
—Matthew Ritchie, Pitchfork, 23 Feb. 2026
Next thing, authorities told media outlets, a 63-year-old player allegedly punched an opponent and then used his pickleball paddle as a weapon, whacking a 70-year-old in the face.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
Verb
And the crowd clearly expected that pucks whacking the nets would be at a premium in this series, too.
—ABC News, 4 May 2026
But, really, just being on the island feels like meditative wellness, including taking a golf club and a biodegradable ball from the island shop and whacking it into the sea.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Ultimately, the Yanks would spend 2 hours and 45 minutes on the court, meaning 2023 champion Tiafoe, who had prevailed in two previous marathons, wound up whacking balls for eight-plus hours in his ultimately futile bid for reach a fourth consecutive final here.
—Dale Robertson, Houston Chronicle, 4 Apr. 2026
Matt is carrying a stick and whacking flowers.
—Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
His young nephew provided the entertainment, whacking a plastic ball around with a toy club on the lawn, replicating pro golf mannerisms a little too closely.
—Gabby Herzig, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2026
These plays are often brilliant, and even lesser variants are fun to watch, because piñata-whacking itself is a naughty thrill, a cathartic fantasy for anyone with a family and/or a secret.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2026
Rio’s staunch griminess, dreaming of whacking his brother and wanting to cut his nephew’s tongue for snitching, drags Fxce out into the open sea.
—Matthew Ritchie, Pitchfork, 23 Feb. 2026
Next thing, authorities told media outlets, a 63-year-old player allegedly punched an opponent and then used his pickleball paddle as a weapon, whacking a 70-year-old in the face.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whacking
Adjective
-
The lobby’s elevator doors opened and a woman with a giant white saucer on her head and a matching floor-length coat, embellished with red splotches that evoked stab wounds, slowly exited.—
Jane Bua,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
-
There’s a friendly reception area with a giant chalkboard informing guests of local events, ranging from in-house parties to full moon nights at the Acropolis and big name gigs by the touring artists.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
14 May 2026
Adverb
-
But even Black athletes whose athleticism gifted them an extremely exclusive express lane in life can tell you stories about growing up a minority in America, or tales their parents or grandparents have told.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
14 May 2026
-
The theory of quantum electrodynamics (QED) suggests that when light at extremely high intensities interacts with the vacuum, it can be converted into matter.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Parents Alexus Benavidez and Rauf Scott of Collin County filed a complaint this month against Kids ‘R’ Kids of Lawler Farm in Frisco, alleging their 3-year-old son was the victim of excessive physical force that included yanking, spanking and smacking the toddler.—
Lina Ruiz
May 14,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 May 2026
-
Chicago rookie Munetaka Murakami became the first player in major league history to homer in the first game of eight straight series, smacking a solo shot off Emerson Hancock (3-1) in the first.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
Caneiro, 59, received four consecutive life sentences after being found guilty in February of murdering his brother, Keith, and his brother's family.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
-
In 2004, a jury found Peterson guilty of murdering his wife and child.—
Alexiah Syrai Olsen,
Sacbee.com,
19 May 2026
Adjective
-
Though conditions are more acute in Myanmar due to the civil war, experts warn the chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz could also dent rice production across the region – with potentially huge shocks for food security.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
16 May 2026
-
Just to switch gears for a second, the 2025-2026 season had some huge roster changes.—
Arushi Jacob,
Variety,
15 May 2026
Adverb
-
The Nobel-prize-winning novelist Thomas Mann (Hanns Zischler) and his daughter Erika (Sandra Hüller) go on an unsentimental journey in 1949 through West and East Germany in Pawel Pawlikowski’s damn-near perfect period piece Fatherland.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 2026
-
After a lifetime of being told to stay quiet and smile, screaming your truths or slamming them out on a drum set feels damn good.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
At the surrounding tables patrons were talking, laughing, slapping one another heartily on the back.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 May 2026
-
From Rome, Rubio announced the administration was slapping additional sanctions on Cuba.—
Rick Jervis,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Mangione is accused of assassinating UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.—
Adam Sabes , Maria Paronich,
FOXNews.com,
13 May 2026
-
Making a disgusting joke about assassinating the President #2.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whacking. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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