Whup

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To strike or beat someone decisively in a confrontation or contest
2. To administer a significant amount of correction or punishment in a forceful manner
3. To achieve victory over an opponent through overwhelming means or force

Etymology: "Whup" is a dialect or informal spelling that has settled into the dictionary as a verb meaning to beat someone soundly, and its history runs through two older words that sound alike. It is a variant of "whip," the word for lashing with a cord or strap, so a whupping began as a thrashing with something like a switch or lash. It is also a variant of "whoop," which in its older sense suggested a loud outcry, so the same spelling could carry the noise of a fight alongside the blows. The spelling itself is simply a phonetic rendering of how many speakers pronounced "whip" and "whoop," with the vowel and the initial sound flattened together. Because the spelling reflects speech rather than a separate root, "whup" has no independent ancestry of its own. Its meaning comes entirely from the older words it imitates.

Synonyms: beat, defeat, thrash, whip, trounce

Antonyms: lose, succumb, yield, surrender, fail