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Definition of smack verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

smack

verb
 
/smæk/
 
/smæk/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they smack
 
/smæk/
 
/smæk/
he / she / it smacks
 
/smæks/
 
/smæks/
past simple smacked
 
/smækt/
 
/smækt/
past participle smacked
 
/smækt/
 
/smækt/
-ing form smacking
 
/ˈsmækɪŋ/
 
/ˈsmækɪŋ/
Idioms Phrasal Verbs
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  1. [transitive] smack somebody/something (especially British English) to hit somebody with your open hand or an object, especially as a punishment
    • I think it's wrong to smack children.
    • Do that again and you’ll get your bottom smacked.
    compare spank
    Extra Examples
    • I smacked him hard across the face.
    • She smacked the boy on his leg.
    • I accidentally smacked him in the face with a ruler.
    Topics Life stagesc2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • hard
    preposition
    • on
    See full entry
  2. [transitive] smack something + adv./prep. to put something somewhere with a lot of force so that it makes a loud noise synonym bang
    • She smacked her hand down on the table.
    • He smacked a fist into the palm of his hand.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • accidentally
    • hard
    preposition
    • against
    • into
    phrases
    • smack somebody across the face
    • smack somebody in the face
    • smack somebody on the shoulder
    • …
    See full entry
  3. [intransitive] + adv./prep. to hit against something with a lot of force synonym crash
    • Two players accidentally smacked into each other.
    • He turned around and smacked into a wall.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • accidentally
    • hard
    preposition
    • against
    • into
    phrases
    • smack somebody across the face
    • smack somebody in the face
    • smack somebody on the shoulder
    • …
    See full entry
    4. Word Originverb mid 16th cent. (in the sense ‘part (one's lips) noisily’): from Middle Dutch smacken, of imitative origin; compare with German schmatzen ‘eat or kiss noisily’. smack of something. Old English smæc ‘flavour, smell’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch smaak and German Geschmack.
Idioms
smack your lips
  1. to move your lips, apart noisily, especially before eating something good
  2. (also lick your lips)
     (informal) to show that you are excited about something and want it to happen soon
    • They were smacking their lips at the thought of clinching the deal.
See smack in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
Check pronunciation: smack

Nearby words

trait
noun
 
 
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