whacking 1 of 3

adjective

ˈ(h)wa-kiŋ How to pronounce whacking (audio)
Definition of whackingnext
as in giant
unusually large harvested a whacking number of zucchini from the garden

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

whacking

2 of 3

adverb

as in extremely
to a great degree the clown wore a whacking big pair of shoes

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

whacking

3 of 3

verb

present participle of whack
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of whacking
Verb
There are frightening stories of swordfish charging boats, and even spearing their transoms and whacking propellers. — Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 26 Aug. 2026 Yes, there were moments of humor, such as getting magic potions around the campfire at the end of each stage by whacking helpless little elves, but most of it was played straight, to great effect. — Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026 As the movie shows, local foodies would swarm the ocean whenever striped bass appeared, reeling them in with pieces of Wonder Bread and then whacking them on the head. — Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 7 Aug. 2026 Larry Hayes, 86, and Bill Moniz, 79, hit the tennis courts in Mountain View three to four times a week — whacking balls across the net as teammates for one to three hours a week. — Panashe Matemba-Mutasa, Mercury News, 27 May 2026 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 And Matt was whacking them with his stick. — Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whacking
  1. giant
  2. extremely
  3. smacking
  4. murdering
  5. huge
  6. damn
  7. slapping
  8. assassinating
Adjective
  • The most direct tribute to Tippett came in the battle against two giant droids guarding an overlord’s chamber.
    — Davide Abbatescianni, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The giant company now called Skydance Media made some commitments to the indie film space in a settlement with a group of Attorneys General who had sued to block the merger.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of giant
Adverb
  • Experts attribute the extremely warm ocean temperatures that fueled Rachel, which peaked as a Category 3 hurricane, in part to El Niño.
    — Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
  • All this makes the Home app very easy to use, but extremely underpowered.
    — Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, The Verge, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of extremely
Verb
  • But Varma and Shivam Dube (27) upped the ante in the final three overs by smacking 57 runs against Sufyan Moqim, Ayub and Ahmed Daniyal.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Carrington was ejected from the game in the first half after smacking Cunningham across the face during Cunningham's layup attempt.
    — Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of smacking
Verb
  • The Lahis case nevertheless established an early precedent for leniency toward an Israeli soldier convicted of murdering Arab civilians.
    — Tamir Sorek, The Conversation, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Caleb Flynn, a pastor who competed on American Idol season 12, has been sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole for murdering his wife, Ashley Flynn, AP News reports.
    — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of murdering
Adjective
  • Tre Tyus called up from practice squad, the big punt block at the end was huge, and the guys came together and found a way to win.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Video also appears to show a drone striking a huge bridge in the city.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of huge
Adverb
  • Because the rent is so damn high, there was real money to be made.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The play broke the dam for an offense — and particularly a run game — that last year looked pretty damn broken.
    — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of damn
Verb
  • Less than three months after that deal was announced in January 2022, Smith became an industry pariah after slapping Chris Rock onstage at the Oscars, earning a 10-year ban from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
    — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Hochman said the nannies were caught on video spanking, slapping or hitting the children.
    — News Editor, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of slapping
Verb
  • Washington hoped that assassinating Khamenei would prompt a mass antigovernment uprising.
    — Narges Bajoghli, Foreign Affairs, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Tyler Robinson, the man accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk, will stand trial after a Utah judge ruled Tuesday that prosecutors presented enough evidence to move forward on all seven charges against him.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of assassinating

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Cite this Entry

“Whacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whacking. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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