I. smack 1 /smæk/ BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Origin: Perhaps from Middle Dutch smacken 'to hit' . smack of 1300-1400 From smack 'taste' (11-21 centuries) , from Old English smæc ]
1 . to hit someone, especially a child, with your open hand in order to punish them ⇨ slap :
the debate about whether parents should smack their children
2 . [always + adverb/preposition] to hit something hard against something else so that it makes a short loud noise:
He smacked the money down on the table and walked out.
3 . smack your lips to make a short loud noise with your lips before or after you eat or drink something to show that it is good:
He drained his glass and smacked his lips appreciatively.
4 . British English informal to hit someone hard with your closed hand SYN punch
smack of something phrasal verb [not in progressive]
if a situation smacks of something unpleasant, it seems to involve that thing:
To me, the whole thing smacks of a cover-up.
smack somebody up phrasal verb informal
to hit someone hard many times with your hand:
Don’t make me come over there and smack you up.
II. smack 2 BrE AmE noun
[ Sense 1-2, 4: Date: 1500-1600 ; Origin: ⇨ ↑ smack 1 ]
[ Sense 3: Date: 1900-2000 ; Origin: Perhaps from Yiddish shmek 'sniff, slight smell, small mount of snuff' ]
[ Sense 5: Date: 1600-1700 ; Language: Dutch ; Origin: smak ]
1 . [countable]
a) a hit with your open hand, especially to punish a child ⇨ slap :
You’re going to get a smack in a minute!
b) British English informal a hard hit with your closed hand SYN punch
smack in the mouth/face/gob
Talk like that and I’ll give you a smack in the mouth.
2 . [countable usually singular] a short loud noise caused when something hits something else:
The book landed with a smack.
3 . [uncountable] informal ↑ heroin
4 . give somebody a smack on the lips/cheek informal to kiss someone loudly
5 . [countable] a small fishing boat
III. smack 3 BrE AmE adverb informal
1 . exactly or directly in the middle of something, in front of something etc
smack in the middle/in front of something etc
There was a hole smack in the middle of the floor.
smack bang British English smack dab American English :
It’s smack dab in the middle of an earthquake zone.
2 . if something goes smack into something, it hits it with a lot of force:
The car ran smack into the side of the bus.