whack

verb

/wæk/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they whack	/wæk/ /wæk/
he / she / it whacks	/wæks/ /wæks/
past simple whacked	/wækt/ /wækt/
past participle whacked	/wækt/ /wækt/
-ing form whacking	/ˈwækɪŋ/ /ˈwækɪŋ/

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whack somebody/something (+ adv./prep.) (informal) to hit somebody/something very hard
- She whacked him with her handbag.
- James whacked the ball over the net.
Extra Examples
- He whacked the ball back over the net.
- She whacked him around the head.
- Some of the teachers used to whack the boys with a slipper.
whack something + adv./prep. (informal) to put something somewhere without much care
- Just whack your bags in the corner.
whack somebody (North American English, slang) to murder somebody

Word Originearly 18th cent.: imitative, or perhaps an alteration of thwack.

noun

/wæk/

[usually singular] (informal)Idioms

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the act of hitting somebody/something hard; the sound made by this
- He gave the ball a good whack.
- I heard the whack of the bullet hitting the wood.
(British English) a share of something; an amount of something
- Don't leave all the work to her. Everyone should do their fair whack.
- You have to pay the full whack. There are no reductions.
- He charges top whack (= the highest amount possible).

Word Originearly 18th cent.: imitative, or perhaps an alteration of thwack.

Idioms

out of whack (informal, especially North American English)

no longer correct or working properly
- The system is clearly out of whack.
- All the traveling had thrown my body out of whack.
- The spending priorities were out of whack.
not agreeing with or the same as something else
- Expectations and reality got out of whack.
Topics Opinion and argumentc2