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
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Recent Examples of whacking
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
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
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
Verb
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whacking
Adjective
-
Here in the States, Korean giant LG is best known for appliances like refrigerators and TVs—but the best LG Beauty products prove that the brand is a force in the K-beauty universe, too.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
27 May 2026
-
The giant longhorn bull statue that has stood outside 612 University Drive for 25 years will move to Fred’s Texas Cafe after J&J closes May 30, Fred’s boss Quincy Wallace announced.—
Bud Kennedy,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 May 2026
Adverb
-
The club had learned to accept that the 51-year-old is extremely demanding and ambitious, qualities that actually made working with him a challenge at times.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
-
Donley says that all the evidence presented in court shows that storing this waste in close proximity to homes, schools, and waterways would be extremely harmful to the local population's health and the environment.—
Heath Kalb,
CBS News,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Chicago rookie Munetaka Murakami became the first player in major league history to homer in the first game of eight straight series, smacking a solo shot off Emerson Hancock (3-1) in the first.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 May 2026
-
Chicago rookie Munetaka Murakami became the first player in major league history to homer in the first game of eight straight series, smacking a solo shot off Emerson Hancock (3-1) in the first.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Lawrence murder suspected expected to be arraigned A 21-year-old man from Lawrence is expected to be arraigned Tuesday for allegedly murdering a woman over the weekend.—
Colleen Cronin,
Boston Herald,
26 May 2026
-
The two of them had been convicted of murdering their master, John Clapham, whose headless corpse was found floating in the river.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
Adjective
-
Ciber ’s team work quickly under netting to mount a huge Browning heavy machine gun onto tank tracks.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
-
The eighth-inning bomb was huge, too.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
30 May 2026
Adverb
-
Specifically, at Laurel, the distance from the gate to the first turn is a bit over 700 feet, which is to say, not just short, but damn short for a field of fourteen.—
Guy Martin,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
-
The Nobel-prize-winning novelist Thomas Mann (Hanns Zischler) and his daughter Erika (Sandra Hüller) go on an unsentimental journey in 1949 through West and East Germany in Pawel Pawlikowski’s damn-near perfect period piece Fatherland.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
The squad congregated outside the dressing room, slapping hands and hugging each other.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
25 May 2026
-
Video from the incident shows Shields slapping Baumgardner's hand to punctuate a heated exchange.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
Yes, assassinating their leaders might have played into that.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
25 May 2026
-
Mangione is accused of assassinating UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.—
Adam Sabes , Maria Paronich,
FOXNews.com,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whacking. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
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