What does "swack" mean?
A large number or amount of something.
Swack
/swæk/ adj, adv, noun, verb, slang
adj, adv, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A large number or amount of something.
- Grammar: swack is listed as adj, adv, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: cuff, fuddle, overtake, paste.
- Usage evidence: Matthew advanced to the foot of the stairs and whistled. The signal had been expected, for presently he was joined by a swack youth of about eighteen years, who carried a couple of long salmon-spears.
How to use "swack"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "swack" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "swack" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "swack" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "swack" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "swack" is acting as adj, adv, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "cuff" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "swack", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A large number or amount of something. slang
"She gave me a swack of books."
- 2 Synonym of smack.; A sharp blow. countable, uncountable
"My eighteen holes was simply a long ride in a golfmobile, with me stopping far too many times to take a swack at the ball."
- 3 A bum or petty thief.
"Jake explained it to her: “A swack started it, at the last show one night in Hoquiam,” he said. “I just happened to notice it, and so after that I've planted a couple of stagehands in the audience for Hen-Tooth's act every show, to start it again."
- 4 Synonym of smack.; The sound of a sharp blow. countable, uncountable
"The ball flew between them at incredible speed, hitting off their pads with a swack! that could be heard clearly above the steady splattering of the rain."
- 5 Synonym of smack.; A wet sound such as a loud kiss. countable, uncountable
"And Cyndi Lauper is ecstatic, first leaping up in the air and then, for good measure, racing over to give Fabulous Moolah a swack for good luck."
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 Synonym of smack.; A striking stimulus. countable, uncountable
"An area rug can supply the zing of pattern or a swack of color to a room that languishes from blandness ."
- 7 An attack, a swipe. countable, uncountable
"Nothing to say, the oilcloth moans under the swack of Mother's sponge."
- 8 A single attempt or instance of taking action; a crack; a go. countable, uncountable
"We are certainly delighted to see you take another swack at microfilm and are sending our Chapter 14 on the subject."
- 9 Clout; influence. uncountable
"You have more swack with their management than they do, the same way you have more swack with foreign leaders than any of the Ambassadors that you talked to."
- 10 A gulp or hearty swallow. countable, uncountable
"What the French criticize," says Le Monde, after a swack at Coca-Cola,“ is not so much Coca-Cola, as its orchestration, less the drink itself than the civilization of which it is a mark and the symbol."
Verb
- 1 To smack.; To slap or hit.
"When Oscar charged the tyrant Loth, Their spears both in flinders flew; Syne swacked they swords in deidly wroth, But a churl behind King Oscar slew!"
- 2 To smack.; To make a swack (sound).
""Rose" looked upon him with unfriendly eye, as his swacking bill-hook would be likely to affright her game."
- 3 To consume with hearty enjoyment.
"At any rate, motoring is not even as you were ”before the war, but a good deal further behind in many respects, buoyed up only by the enthusiasm of released automobilists and neomotorists swacking their fill of new post-war delights."
- 4 To labour; to exert an effort.
"Morgan was out of sight as usual, swacking away in the engine room."
Adjective
- 1 Lithe; nimble. Scotland
"Matthew advanced to the foot of the stairs and whistled. The signal had been expected, for presently he was joined by a swack youth of about eighteen years, who carried a couple of long salmon-spears."
Adverb
- 1 With a swack, to the point of touching.
"Pulling away, Brennan felt his shin swack against Glass's shin, but Glass kept moving."
Example
"Matthew advanced to the foot of the stairs and whistled. The signal had been expected, for presently he was joined by a swack youth of about eighteen years, who carried a couple of long salmon-spears."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "swack"?
Common synonyms include: cuff, fuddle, overtake, paste, pickle, plaster.
How do you use "swack" in a sentence?
Matthew advanced to the foot of the stairs and whistled. The signal had been expected, for presently he was joined by a swack youth of about eighteen years, who carried a couple of long salmon-spears.
How do you pronounce "swack"?
Pronounced /swæk/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English swac (“weak”), possibly borrowed via Scots swack, ultimately from Old English *swæc (found in derivative swæcehēow (“weakmindedness, nonsense”)), from Proto-West Germanic *swak (“weak”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian swäk, West Frisian swak, Dutch zwak, German Low German swack, German schwach, Norwegian Bokmål svak.
Etymology 2
Unknown.
Etymology 3
Considered dialect by Wright, but now widespread. Scottish National Dictionary proposes an origin in Old Scots (Middle English) swak ("to throw violently"). Compare Scots swak, swack (“to throw with violent force, dash", also "a hard blow or whack”). Compare also Middle Dutch swacken (“to shake, wave”).