spank

Probably imitative.

• IPA^(key): /spæŋk/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æŋk

Political cartoon from 1860 depicting Columbia spanking Stephen A. Douglas over her knee as a punishment, using a switch.

spank (third-person singular simple present spanks, present participle spanking, simple past and past participle spanked)

1. (transitive) To beat, smack or slap a person's buttocks, with the bare hand or other object, as punishment, gesture, or form of sexual interaction.
2. (transitive) To soundly defeat, to trounce.
3. (transitive) To hit very hard
   • 15 September 2018, Barney Ronay, The Guardian, Finely tuned Liverpool are really getting into Jürgen Klopp’s groove:

     Spurs had a free-kick on the edge of the Liverpool box. Érik Lamela spanked it low into the wall, got the ball back, played it out to Christian Eriksen.

4. (intransitive) To move rapidly.

   The ship was really spanking along.

• spankee
• spanker
• unspanked

spank (plural spanks)

1. An instance of spanking, separately or part of a multiple blows-beating; a smack, swat, or slap.
2. A slapping sound, as produced by spanking.

• Panks, knaps