as in giant
unusually large harvested a whacking number of zucchini from the garden
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in extremely
to a great degree the clown wore a whacking big pair of shoes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Dale Robertson, Houston Chronicle, 4 Apr. 2026 Matt is carrying a stick and whacking flowers. —Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026 His young nephew provided the entertainment, whacking a plastic ball around with a toy club on the lawn, replicating pro golf mannerisms a little too closely. —Gabby Herzig, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2026 These plays are often brilliant, and even lesser variants are fun to watch, because piñata-whacking itself is a naughty thrill, a cathartic fantasy for anyone with a family and/or a secret. —Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2026 Rio’s staunch griminess, dreaming of whacking his brother and wanting to cut his nephew’s tongue for snitching, drags Fxce out into the open sea. —Matthew Ritchie, Pitchfork, 23 Feb. 2026 Next thing, authorities told media outlets, a 63-year-old player allegedly punched an opponent and then used his pickleball paddle as a weapon, whacking a 70-year-old in the face. —Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026 The reptile reacts to being picked up by flicking its meaty tail back and forth, whacking a few of the deputies. —Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 5 Dec. 2025 The robot showcased exemplary skills with the bat, whacking the ball precisely in a rally of over 100 shots with human-like agility. —Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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 Matt is carrying a stick and whacking flowers. —Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026 His young nephew provided the entertainment, whacking a plastic ball around with a toy club on the lawn, replicating pro golf mannerisms a little too closely. —Gabby Herzig, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2026 These plays are often brilliant, and even lesser variants are fun to watch, because piñata-whacking itself is a naughty thrill, a cathartic fantasy for anyone with a family and/or a secret. —Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2026 Rio’s staunch griminess, dreaming of whacking his brother and wanting to cut his nephew’s tongue for snitching, drags Fxce out into the open sea. —Matthew Ritchie, Pitchfork, 23 Feb. 2026 Next thing, authorities told media outlets, a 63-year-old player allegedly punched an opponent and then used his pickleball paddle as a weapon, whacking a 70-year-old in the face. —Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026 The reptile reacts to being picked up by flicking its meaty tail back and forth, whacking a few of the deputies. —Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 5 Dec. 2025 The robot showcased exemplary skills with the bat, whacking the ball precisely in a rally of over 100 shots with human-like agility. —Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whacking
Adjective
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Just last month, his government paid a French energy company $1 billion to abandon two giant East Coast wind farm projects and use the check to invest in oil and gas projects instead.— Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2026
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Instead, there’s now a concrete tunnel that looks like a giant piece of abstract art.— Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 22 Apr. 2026
Adverb
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Only 11% of respondents were extremely comfortable using AI, whereas 25% were not comfortable at all using the technology.— Jeff Lazerson, Oc Register, 16 Apr. 2026
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These mid-rise jeans are extremely soft, crafted from 98 percent cotton.— Caroline Hughes, Travel + Leisure, 16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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De Kock smashed eight boundaries and seven sixes and Dhir complemented his South African teammate by smacking three fours and three sixes in the century partnership.— ABC News, ABC News, 16 Apr. 2026
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Berfield — who played Reese, Dewey's older brother — watches the tween get picked on by a group of bullies before turning and smacking them with his bag.— Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Bukele has accused them of murdering 200,000 people, including about 80,000 who disappeared without a trace.— CBS News, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
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Israel has been murdering Palestinians for decades and is now committing genocide—and for the third year running, they’re welcomed back onto the stage.— Kiana Mickles, Pitchfork, 21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Deportees who aren't imprisoned face challenges Even those who are not immediately jailed face huge challenges, including economic ones, upon their return to their home country.— Sergio Martínez-Beltrán, NPR, 17 Apr. 2026
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Anderson said that experience was a huge help in preparing him for his eventual MLB promotion.— Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 17 Apr. 2026
Adverb
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Lisa Kudrow is so damn good at this.— Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 6 Apr. 2026
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These men in sports who know damn well a woman could not compete are staying silent.— Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But there’s more to at-home extensions than slapping them on the crown of your head and heading out the door.— Hunter Lacey, Allure, 9 Apr. 2026
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That means going beyond slapping a flag on packaging in November.— Peter Su, Rolling Stone, 1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The special will look into the stories of Luigi Mangione, who faces trial in the killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson; Tyler Robinson, accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk; and Robin Westman, accused of a mass shooting at a Catholic church in Minneapolis.— Ted Johnson, Deadline, 15 Apr. 2026
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This comes on top of at least 15 years of US-Israel assassinating Iranian university scientists and their families.— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/whacking. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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