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
-
His scoring has dipped since conference play began, with only three double-digit games in eight tries.—
Tony Catalina,
Austin American Statesman,
30 Jan. 2026
-
All 22 point-after-touchdown tries made.—
Dan Wiederer,
New York Times,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The restaurant weathered the blows of COVID-19, but the relationship between Valente and his partners was strained.—
Sean Timberlake,
Sacbee.com,
31 Jan. 2026
-
The Horns landed several big blows, but the knockout shot never connected.—
Cedric Golden,
Austin American Statesman,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Oscar-winning composer Daniel Blumberg was tasked with layering in claps, stomps and screams.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Listeners replied with claps and exclamations of eager agreement.—
Madeline King,
Chicago Tribune,
18 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
-
Santos let 13 shot attempts fly, including 1-of-6 from behind the arc.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Bane specifically has seen a decrease in long-range accuracy and number of open attempts as well, something Carter mentioned.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The queen of maximalist beauty also once again demonstrated her expertise in the makeup and hair space by playing with her copper-red locks, debuting curly bangs and mermaid braids among her soft waves.—
Pamela Vázquez,
Glamour,
2 Feb. 2026
-
Chopped with face-framing curtain bangs and curled into small (almost Shirley Temple-sized) ringlets, the singer’s hair is clearly a reference to her look from the song’s energetic music video.—
Margaux Anbouba,
Vogue,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
And then some thug comes along and knocks him over.—
Adrienne LaFrance,
The Atlantic,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Perez, a 63-year-old transient man, was convicted of the child murders from 1992 through 2001 throughout Central and Northern California, the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office announced in a news release.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
7 Jan. 2026
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Gun murders rare Until Sunday, Australia had decades of proof that tough gun laws can make a country safer with one of the world’s lowest gun homicide rates, per capita.—
Hilary Whiteman,
CNN Money,
15 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Whacks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whacks. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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