as in slaps
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
delivered a quick spank to the child's bottom for disobedience
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spanks
Noun
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Leonard extended his 20-point streak to 49 straight games with 27 points on 9-of-19 shooting, welcoming hand slaps from teammates after hitting his second 3-pointer late in the game.—
Janis Carr,
Oc Register,
26 Mar. 2026 -
For the Dominican Republic, Guerrero flashed the same chest slaps and spiked bats that punctuated his postseason homers.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The boy smacks him in the mouth and then immediately starts crying.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Apr. 2026
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An attack rears its ugly head, and the security team smacks it down.—
Neil J. Rubenking,
PC Magazine,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The Russian military appears to be losing some ground in Ukraine, contrary to claims by Moscow’s top brass; Ukrainian strikes are delivering damaging blows to vital Russian oil and gas infrastructure; and drone strikes by Kyiv have disrupted life in the Russian capital before.—
Nathan Hodge,
CNN Money,
29 Apr. 2026
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And Minnesota didn’t absorb or respond to the blows.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Aledo thumps Colleyville Heritage, Joshua next Tiara Butler dropped in 13 points to lead Aledo to a 48-21 win over Colleyville Heritage in a Class 5A Division I bi-district playoff on Monday.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 Feb. 2026
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Pam thumps down to earth, all four chair legs on the floor.—
Allegra Goodman,
New Yorker,
4 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In the opening minute alone, Murphy shot just wide off a turnover and Josefin Bouveng set up Madison Kaiser for a couple of whacks from the edge of the blue paint that were both stopped.—
Mike Cook,
Twin Cities,
14 Mar. 2026
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The star then grabbed a bat and took several whacks at a colorful piñata shaped like a cascaron.—
René Guzman,
San Antonio Express-News,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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At that house, no one answered a Statesman reporter’s knocks on Monday, but Davidson told the Statesman that his family owns the whole lot.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
28 Apr. 2026
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For one thing, precedent says that Waddle’s production this fall should, health permitting (knocks on wood), just about double whatever numbers Cooper puts out as a rookie for the J-E-T-S in 2026.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Pitch invasions, punches thrown (allegedly) and promotion by a whisker in the 103rd minute.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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Dallas and Minnesota throw punches from your weight class.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Canty is one of the coaches who whips students into shape.—
Terell Bailey,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
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When a dog repeatedly wags and whips its tail against hard surfaces, the tip can split open, bruise or break.—
Miriam Fauzia,
Dallas Morning News,
21 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Spanks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spanks. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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