WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026whack /hwæk, wæk/USA pronunciation
v.
- to strike or hit with or as if with a strong, loud blow: [~ + object]She whacked the stick against the table.[no object]He whacked at the ball and missed.
n. [countable]
- a smart, resounding blow:She gave him a whack on the knuckles.
- Informal Termsan attempt:He took a whack at the job.
Idioms
- Idioms, Informal Terms out of whack, out of order;
not working correctly or properly.
whack•er, n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026whack
(hwak, wak),USA pronunciation v.t.
- to strike with a smart, resounding blow or blows.
- Slang Termsto divide into or take in shares (often fol. by up):Whack the loot between us two.
v.i.
- to strike a smart, resounding blow or blows.
- whack off:
- to cut off or separate with a blow:The cook whacked off the fish's head.
- Slang (vulgar). to masturbate.
- Slang Terms whack out, to produce quickly or, sometimes, carelessly:She whacks out a short story every week or so.
n.
- a smart, resounding blow:a whack with his hand.
- Informal Termsa trial or attempt:to take a whack at a job.
- Slang Termsa portion or share.
- Informal Terms out of whack, out of order or alignment;
not in proper condition.
- 1710–20; origin, originally dialect, dialectal, Scots form of thwack; compare whang2, whittle
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
whack /wæk/ vb (transitive)- to strike with a sharp resounding blow
- (usually passive) Brit informal to exhaust completely
- (transitive; usually followed by in or on) informal to put something on to or into something else with force or abandon: whack on some sunscreen
- (transitive) US slang to murder: if you were out of line you got whacked
n - a sharp resounding blow or the noise made by such a blow
- informal a share or portion
- informal a try or attempt (esp in the phrase have a whack at)
- out of whack ⇒ informal out of order; unbalanced: the whole system is out of whack
Etymology: 18th Century: perhaps a variant of thwack, ultimately of imitative originˈwhacker n
'whack' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):