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Added 9 October 2026

whack

/ˈwæk/ noun

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about whack at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

The sound made by a sharp swift blow.
The act of hitting vigorously.
he gave the table a whack

verb

Hit hard.
The teacher whacked the boy

Origin

Uncertain. Originally Scottish; probably onomatopoeic, but compare Middle English thakken, from Old English þaccian (whence Modern thwack by conflation with whack). Sense 6 of the verb is likely a semantic loan from Malay hentam (“to strike; to do something carelessly”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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