spank

spank — verb

1. to discipline a child by slapping their bottom with your open hand, usually more

1.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to discipline a child by slapping their bottom with your open hand, usually more than once at a time, as a consequence of bad behaviour.

Example

Adaeze told her son she would spank him if he threw a tantrum at the store.

conditional: would spank...if

Many parents today choose not to spank their children, saying that open communication works better.

negative structure: choose not to spank

Common collocations
  • spank a child / kid / son / daughter
  • spank for lying / swearing / misbehaving
  • threaten to spank
  • get spanked
  • deserve a spanking
Synonyms
  • smack

    more common in British English; can also mean a single, sharp hit to any body part, not just the bottom

  • slap

    broader meaning — can be on the face or elsewhere, and is not specifically about disciplining children

  • paddle

    less common as a verb; implies using a flat wooden tool, not just the hand

Antonyms
  • praise

    to express approval instead of punishing

  • reward

    to give something positive for good behaviour instead of punishing bad behaviour

Grammar Patterns

spank + object

Usage Note

Frequency passive ('was spanked') is common when describing a child's experience. The intensity implied by spank is milder than beat or whip; it specifically refers to an open-handed slap on the bottom, not a blow with an object.

Common Mistakes

The teacher spanked the desk to get attention.
The teacher slapped the desk to get attention.
spank is only used for hitting a person's bottom, not for hitting objects or surfaces.
She spanked the rug to shake off dust.
She beat the rug to shake off dust.
spank cannot replace 'beat' for inanimate objects.

2. to strike a consenting adult partner on the buttocks with the hand during sexual

2.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to strike a consenting adult partner on the buttocks with the hand during sexual activity, as a way of giving or receiving heightened arousal.

Example

In the novel, the lovers agree to spank each other as part of their private games.

reciprocal: spank each other

Joon and his girlfriend discussed their limits in bed before trying spanking for the first time.

discuss limits before trying [activity]

Common collocations
  • spank a partner
  • light / gentle spanking
  • ask to be spanked
  • spanking during sex
  • consensual spanking
Synonyms
  • smack

    sometimes used interchangeably in this context, especially in British English

  • slap

    more general; 'slap on the bottom' can be either playful or sexual depending on context

Grammar Patterns

spank + object

Usage Note

This sense refers to consensual adult sexual behaviour and should not be confused with sense 1 (child discipline). In conversation, the meaning is usually clear from context — the subject and object are consenting adults, and the setting is explicitly romantic or sexual. Use with caution when talking to parents or in formal settings, as the child-discipline sense is far more common in everyday English.

Common Mistakes

She spanked her boyfriend for coming home late.
She yelled at her boyfriend for coming home late.
spank in sense 2 is explicitly sexual, not a general expression of annoyance.

spank — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Spank, smack, slap, and paddle all involve hitting someone with an open hand, but each word carries different assumptions. Spank is the most specific: it targets the bottom and is almost always about disciplining a child. Smack is common in British English and can mean a hit to any part of the body (a child's hand or bottom), often with less emphasis on the ritual of discipline. Slap is the broadest of the four — it refers to a sharp hit with the palm of the hand and can be on the face, arm, or elsewhere, typically expressing adult anger rather than discipline. Paddle implies using a flat wooden tool rather than the hand and appears less frequently in everyday speech. For example: a parent might spank a child for running into the street but slap another adult who insults them; a British grandparent might smack a grandchild's hand for reaching toward a hot stove, while an American coach might threaten to paddle a player.

spank ↗smack ↗slap ↗paddle

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • give someone a spank
  • get a spank
  • deserve a spank
  • spank someone for something

Prepositions

Etymology

English (imitative / onomatopoeic)

The word spank first appeared in English in the early 1700s. It is thought to imitate the sound of a sharp slap — the same way that 'bang' imitates a loud noise or 'pop' imitates a small explosion. Over time, the word became specifically associated with hitting a child's bottom as punishment, and later developed a separate adult sexual meaning. There is no known older root in Latin, Greek, or Germanic languages, which supports the theory that spank was invented directly from the sound it describes.