1
: characteristic taste or flavor
also
: a perceptible taste or tincture
2
: a small quantity
smacked; smacking; smacks
1
: to have a taste or flavor
2
: to have a trace, vestige, or suggestion
a proposal that smacks of treason
: a sailing ship (such as a sloop or cutter) used chiefly in coasting and fishing
smacked; smacking; smacks
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
: to make or give a smack
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
Grant WahlSynonyms
Noun (1)
- ace
- bit
- crumb
- dab
- dram
- driblet
- glimmer
- hint
- lick
- little
- mite
- nip
- ounce
- particle
- peanuts
- ray
- scintilla
- scruple
- shade
- shadow
- shred
- skosh
- smell
- smidgen
- smidgeon
- smidgin
- smidge
- snap
- soupçon
- spark
- spatter
- speck
- splash
- spot
- sprinkling
- strain
- streak
- suspicion
- tad
- touch
- trace
Verb (2)
- bang
- bash
- bat
- belt
- biff
- bludgeon
- bob
- bonk
- bop
- box
- bust
- clap
- clip
- clobber
- clock
- clout
- crack
- hammer
- hit
- knock
- nail
- paste
- pound
- punch
- rap
- slam
- slap
- slog
- slug
- smite
- sock
- strike
- swat
- swipe
- tag
- thump
- thwack
- wallop
- whack
- whale
- zap
Noun (3)
- bang
- bash
- bat
- beat
- belt
- biff
- blow
- bop
- box
- buffet
- bust
- chop
- clap
- clip
- clout
- crack
- cuff
- dab
- douse [British]
- fillip
- hack
- haymaker
- hit
- hook
- knock
- larrup [dialect]
- lash
- lick
- pelt
- pick
- plump
- poke
- pound
- punch
- rap
- slam
- slap
- slug
- smash
- sock
- spank
- stinger
- stripe
- stroke
- swat
- swipe
- switch
- thud
- thump
- thwack
- wallop
- welt
- whack
- wham
- whop
- whap
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
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025
Pro Football Focus gives Williams a 67.7 grade, which places him 32nd among 42 qualifying quarterbacks — right smack in between Dak Prescott and Mac Jones.
—Phil Rogers, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024
Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2025
What hits on TikTok is a legible, irresistible hook — or, in other words, the kind of content that smacks you in the face with its obviousness.
—Rebecca Jennings, Vox, 10 Jan. 2025
ABC News, 29 Dec. 2024
These gas giants, some of them sit smack in the middle of this warm temperate zone.
—Janna Levin, Quanta Magazine, 19 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for smack 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Sometimes, a greased palm may be all that’s needed to handle wayward men, as when a girl’s complaint about a bad boyfriend facilitates, for the right price, her chance to get a few good smacks at him behind closed doors.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025
Pro Football Focus gives Williams a 67.7 grade, which places him 32nd among 42 qualifying quarterbacks — right smack in between Dak Prescott and Mac Jones.
—Phil Rogers, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024
Verb
Reality has a way of smacking you hard in the face.
—Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2025
What hits on TikTok is a legible, irresistible hook — or, in other words, the kind of content that smacks you in the face with its obviousness.
—Rebecca Jennings, Vox, 10 Jan. 2025
Adverb
But the call for letting in more foreign workers ran smack against the beliefs of some of Trump's most hardcore supporters.
—ABC News, 29 Dec. 2024
These gas giants, some of them sit smack in the middle of this warm temperate zone.
—Janna Levin, Quanta Magazine, 19 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for smack
Articles Related to smack
Dictionary Entries Near smack
Cite this Entry
“Smack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smack. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
smack
1 of 5 noun1
: 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 verb1
: 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 noun1
: 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"
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