/ smæk; NAmE / verb , noun , adverb
■ verb
1.
[ vn ] ( especially BrE ) to hit sb with your open hand, especially as a punishment :
I think it's wrong to smack children.
—compare spank
2.
[ vn + adv. / prep. ] to put sth somewhere with a lot of force so that it makes a loud noise
SYN bang :
She smacked her hand down on to the table.
He smacked a fist into the palm of his hand.
3.
[ v + adv. / prep. ] to hit against sth with a lot of force
SYN crash :
Two players accidentally smacked into each other.
•
IDIOMS
see lip
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- smack of sth
- smack sb up
■ noun
1.
[ C ] ( especially BrE ) a sharp hit given with your open hand, especially to a child as a punishment :
You'll get a smack on your backside if you're not careful.
2.
[ C ] ( informal ) a hard hit given with a closed hand
SYN punch :
a smack on the jaw
3.
[ C , usually sing. ] a short loud sound :
She closed the ledger with a smack.
4.
[ C ] ( informal ) a loud kiss :
a smack on the lips / cheek
5.
[ U ] ( slang ) the drug heroin :
smack addicts
6.
[ C ] ( BrE ) a small fishing boat
■ adverb ( informal )
1.
( NAmE also ˈsmack-dab ) exactly or directly in a place :
It landed smack in the middle of the carpet.
2.
with sudden, violent force, often making a loud noise :
The car drove smack into a brick wall.
••
WORD ORIGIN
verb and noun senses 1 to 4 adverb 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 sth. Old English smæc flavour, smell , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch smaak and German Geschmack .
noun sense 6 early 17th cent.: from Dutch smak , of unknown ultimate origin.
noun sense 5 1940s: probably an alteration of Yiddish shmek a sniff.