smack

1 of 7

noun (1)

1
: characteristic taste or flavor
also : a perceptible taste or tincture
2
: a small quantity

smack

2 of 7

verb (1)

smacked; smacking; smacks

intransitive verb

1
: to have a taste or flavor
2
: to have a trace, vestige, or suggestion
a proposal that smacks of treason

smack

3 of 7

noun (2)

: a sailing ship (such as a sloop or cutter) used chiefly in coasting and fishing

smack

4 of 7

verb (2)

smacked; smacking; smacks

transitive verb

1
: to close and open (lips) noisily and often in rapid succession especially in eating
2
a
: to kiss with or as if with a smack
b
: to strike so as to produce a smack

intransitive verb

: to make or give a smack

smack

5 of 7

noun (3)

1
: a quick sharp noise made by rapidly compressing and opening the lips
2
: a loud kiss
3
: a sharp slap or blow
4
US, informal : boastful or insulting language especially between opponents : smack talk, trash talk
usually used in the phrase talk smack
The college basketball season is barely a month old, yet the top two candidates for national player of the year are already talking smack.Grant Wahl

smack

6 of 7

adverb

: squarely and sharply : directly
smack in the middle

smack

7 of 7

noun (4)

slang
: heroin

Examples of smack in a Sentence

Noun (1) add just a smack of vanilla to the whipped cream and the dessert will be perfect Verb (2) he smacked the punching bag one final time before heading to the showers Noun (3) the cook gave him a smack on the wrist when he tried to sneak an early taste of the sauce Adverb She dropped the book smack in the middle of the table. The ball hit me smack in the face.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
Morton drilled Alonso with a 97 mph fastball, a night after the slugger hit a big home run against the Braves and talked some smack while doing it. Daniel Brown, The Athletic, 29 Aug. 2024 Meanwhile, young, social-media-savvy artists like Gavin Adcock are building both images and loyal followings online by pounding beers and talking smack. Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 18 Nov. 2024
Verb
With the score sitting at 14-10, Crabb smacked the ball at Banesh who parried it, his touch giving Partain the option to pass it back to his teammate. Aaron Heisen, Orange County Register, 9 Nov. 2024 Nobody will mind if they get smacked in the head by a selfie stick, or buzzed by a drone. Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 9 Nov. 2024
Adverb
Here’s a quick breakdown of each division: Class LL Defending champion: Staples Of note: Manchester advanced to the playoffs for the second straight year after a long drought and gets to run smack into defending champion Staples, the No. 2 seed, in the quarterfinal. Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 29 Nov. 2024 Location Hôtel du Couvent sits smack in Nice's Old Town, where streets are narrow and buildings look perpetually sunburned. Paul Jebara, Travel + Leisure, 18 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for smack 

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English smæc; akin to Old High German smac taste and probably to Lithuanian smaguris sweet tooth

Noun (2)

Dutch smak or Low German smack

Verb (2)

akin to Middle Dutch smacken to strike

Noun (4)

perhaps from Yiddish shmek sniff, whiff, pinch (of snuff)

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1533, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1557, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (3)

1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

1782, in the meaning defined above

Noun (4)

circa 1960, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of smack was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near smack

Cite this Entry

“Smack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smack. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

smack

1 of 5 noun
1
: characteristic or slight taste or flavor
2
: a small quantity

smack

2 of 5 verb
: to have a flavor, trace, or suggestion

smack

3 of 5 verb
1
: to close and open the lips noisily especially in eating
2
: to kiss usually loudly
3
: to make or give a sharp slap or blow

smack

4 of 5 noun
1
: a quick sharp noise made by rapidly opening and closing the lips
2
: a loud kiss
3
: a sharp slap or blow

smack

5 of 5 adverb
: in a square and sharp manner : directly
hit me smack in the face
Etymology

Noun

Old English smæc "a characteristic taste or flavor"

More from Merriam-Webster on smack

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!