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✋ To hit the bottom ✋ A slap on bottom

to spank

119 3.6
To hit a child's bottom with an open hand to punish them
  • verb
  • /spæŋk/
translation icon : dar una nalgada
  • The reason why I'm OK with my father spanking me is because I trust that generation.
  • spank a child
  • parents who spank

Oh bro, yeah, but now it's like you can't even spank your kids, man.

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Examples

  • Tootie, remind me to spank you right after dinner.

    Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

  • I'm going to get the belt and spank you if you don't stop.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • I cannot go on my air and say it's OK to spank your child even a little bit.

    Dr. Phil

  • For what he told me, his father spanked him hard, but I heard the words.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Oh bro, yeah, but now it's like you can't even spank your kids, man.

    Theo Von

  • The following Saturday morning, they would get spanked with a leather belt.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Josiah's dad spanked him at Buca di Beppo's.

  • The teacher decided to spank the misbehaving student as a form of discipline.

  • Many parents today are choosing not to spank their children, opting for positive reinforcement instead.

  • After he threw a tantrum, his mother felt she had to spank him to correct his behavior.

Synonyms

to smack
vsto spank
164 3.5

To hit someone or something with an open hand

is done to discipline, focused on the lower body rather than general strikes
to paddle
vsto spank
  • Offensive
4 7.4

To hit someone with a flat board as punishment

uses the hand rather than a hard instrument and targets the lower body
to larrup
vsto spank
  • Offensive
9.9

To hit someone as a punishment, for example by spanking

is milder, an open-hand strike usually on the lower body for discipline

Antonyms

to reward
328 1.3

To give something to someone to thank them for doing something good

Phrasal Verbs

to spank it
  • Informal
9.9

Hit a device like a TV or remote lightly to try to make it work again

to spank it
  • Offensive
9.9

Touch your own private parts to get pleasure

to spank the ball
  • Jargon
6.1

To hit a ball hard so it goes far

Compounds

gentle spank
  • Informal
6.8

A light slap, usually on the arm, to get attention

How Hard

to beat
  • NSFW
∞ 1.2
smack
25 3.6
to spank
119 3.6
to pat
110 1.0
tap
66 1.0

Surface Forms

spank infinitive
spanked past
spanked past participle
spanking present participle
spanks third person singular

Etymology

Spank probably comes from an old Dutch word spanken meaning 'to strike', or it may be a sound word that copies the sharp noise of a slap. So, to spank is to give a quick hit, usually on the bottom, as a way to punish or discipline someone.