whack

To hit someone or something hard, often with a flat object or your hand.

• He whacked the ball.
• She whacked the table with her hand.
• A falling branch whacked me on the shoulder.

How to use it: whack someone/something with something (He whacked the ball with a bat.); whack someone on something (She whacked him on the arm.)

Similar words: hit, strike, smack

Common phrases: whack someone hard, whack a ball, whack with something

To divide something among several people so each gets a share.

• They whacked up the money.
• The thieves whacked the spoils equally.
• We whacked up the profits among all four partners.

How to use it: whack something up among someone (They whacked the profits up among the partners.)

Similar words: divide, share out, distribute

Common phrases: whack up something, whack the spoils

An attempt to do something, or a chance to try it.

• Let me have a whack.
• She took a whack at solving the puzzle.
• Do you want another whack at it?

How to use it: take a whack at something/doing something (Let me take a whack at fixing the bike.)

Similar words: try, go, attempt, shot

Common phrases: take a whack, whack at something, give someone a whack

An informal name for the backslash symbol used in computer file paths.

• Type a whack after the drive letter.
• He said whack when reading the file path aloud.
• In this path, two whacks separate the folder names.

Similar words: backslash

Common phrases: type a whack, colon whack