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whack

 - 7 dictionary results

whack

  [hwak, wak]
Use whack in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to strike with a smart, resounding blow or blows.
2. Slang. to divide into or take in shares (often fol. by up): Whack the loot between us two.
–verb (used without object)
3. to strike a smart, resounding blow or blows.
–noun
4. a smart, resounding blow: a whack with his hand.
5. Informal. a trial or attempt: to take a whack at a job.
6. Slang. a portion or share.
—Verb phrases
7. whack off,
a. to cut off or separate with a blow: The cook whacked off the fish's head.
b. Slang: Vulgar. to masturbate.
8. whack out, Slang. to produce quickly or, sometimes, carelessly: She whacks out a short story every week or so.
—Idiom
9. out of whack, Informal. out of order or alignment; not in proper condition.
Origin:
1710–20; orig. dial., Scots form of thwack; cf. whang 2 , whittle

Related forms:
whacker, noun

Synonyms:
5. try, go, turn.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To whack
whack   (hwāk, wāk)   
v.   whacked, whack·ing, whacks

v.   tr.

  1. To strike (someone or something) with a sharp blow; slap.

  2. Slang To kill deliberately; murder.

v.   intr.
To deal a sharp, resounding blow.
n.  

  1. A sharp, swift blow.

  2. The sound made by a sharp, swift blow.

Phrasal Verb(s):
whack off Vulgar Slang To masturbate.

Idiom(s):
have/take a whack at Informal To try out; attempt.

Idiom(s):
out of whack Informal Improperly ordered or balanced; not functioning correctly.

Idiom(s):
whacked out Slang

  1. Exhausted.

  2. Crazy.

  3. Under the influence of a mind-altering drug.


[Probably imitative.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
whack

and wack
  1. tv.
    to strike someone or something. : Larry reached down and wacked the dog across the snout.
  2. n.
    a blow or hit (at someone or something). : She landed a nasty wack on his thigh.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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whack (sth)

  1. tv.
    to complete something easily or quickly. : If you want a pair of these, I can whack them off for you in a few minutes.
  2. tv.
    to cut or chop something off. : A tree branch is rubbing against the house. I guess I'll go out and whack that branch off.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

whack  (v.)
"to strike sharply," 1719, probably of imitative origin. The noun is from 1737. The word in out of whack (1885) is perhaps the slang meaning "share, just portion" (1785), which may be from the notion of the blow that divides, or the rap of the auctioneer's hammer.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Computing Dictionary

whack
According to arch-hacker James Gosling, to "...modify a program with no idea whatsoever how it works." (See whacker.) It is actually possible to do this in nontrivial circumstances if the change is small and well-defined and you are very good at glarking things from context. As a trivial example, it is relatively easy to change all "stderr" writes to "stdout" writes in a piece of C filter code which remains otherwise mysterious.
[The Jargon File]

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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Idioms & Phrases

whack

In addition to the idioms beginning with whack, also see have a crack (whack) at; out of kilter (whack).

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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