Skip to main content
to whoop ass

to whoop ass

16 9.9
To beat someone very badly in a fight or competition
  • idiom
  • /ˈhuːp æs/
  • Offensive
translation icon : partir la cara a (vulgar)
  • Because he's about to whoop your ass, that's why.
  • gonna whoop ass

Then when you play a team that'll whoop your ass, you freeze up.

Autoplay Next

Examples

Synonyms

to beat the shit out of
vsto whoop ass
  • Offensive
53 9.9

To hurt or defeat someone very badly, often by hitting them

means decisive defeat but does not always imply extreme bodily harm
to kick someone's ass
vsto whoop ass
  • Offensive
45 9.0

To beat or punish someone very badly

focuses on decisive defeat rather than punishment or harsh discipline
to whoop
vsto whoop ass
  • Slang
32 4.2

To beat someone easily in a game or contest

is used more for physical fights as well as competitions
to kick-ass
vsto whoop ass
  • Offensive
11 8.7

To beat someone by a large amount in a contest or game

applies to decisive defeat in direct conflicts rather than only impressive wins
to beat the pants off
vsto whoop ass
  • Informal
3 7.7

Win easily by a lot against another person or team

emphasizes hard decisive defeat, not necessarily effortless victory
to beat someone's ass
vsto whoop ass
  • Offensive
1 9.9

To defeat someone completely, often physically or in a game, used in rude speech

is used more broadly for decisive wins, not only violent attacks
to wallop
vsto whoop ass
  • Informal
1 6.7

To beat someone very easily and completely in a game or contest

is more informal and slangy, used in rough or violent contexts
to open a can of whoop ass
vsto whoop ass
  • Offensive
1 9.9

To attack or punish someone suddenly and violently, often for something they did

refers to decisive defeat in conflict rather than a sudden punitive response
to fuck someone upside down
vsto whoop ass
  • Offensive
9.9

Beat someone completely in a game or contest

is slang for decisive defeat but usually less obscene in tone
to beat the poop out of
vsto whoop ass
  • Offensive
9.6

Hit someone many times so they become badly hurt

covers decisive wins broadly, not limited to physical assault or punishment

How Decisive

to destroy
  • Informal
557 1.7
to trounce
14 7.5
to whoop ass
  • Offensive
16 9.9
to beat up
  • Offensive
271 4.1
to beat
1.4

Surface Forms

whoop ass infinitive
whooped ass past participle
whooping ass present participle
whoop asses third person singular

Morphology

whoop + ass

The sense 'to defeat someone decisively' follows directly from combining 'whoop' (to beat or overwhelmingly defeat) with 'ass' used as a vulgar object/intensifier referring to the person, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the idiom's meaning. The expression is informal and coarse in register, but this does not obscure its compositional derivation.

Etymology

Whoop ass may come from a simple image: whoop is a loud shout or a strong hit and ass means the 'butt' or the person being hit. So, the phrase now means 'to defeat someone completely', often in a fight or competition.