From Middle English wallopen (“gallop”), from Anglo-Norman [Term?], from Old Northern French walop (“gallop”, noun) and waloper (“to gallop”, verb) (compare Old French galoper, whence modern French galoper), from Frankish *wala hlaupan (“to run well”) from *wala (“well”) + *hlaupan (“to run”), from Proto-Germanic *hlaupaną (“to run, leap, spring”), from Proto-Indo-European *klaub- (“to spring, stumble”). Possibly also derived from a deverbal of Frankish *walhlaup (“battle run”) from *wal (“battlefield”) from Proto-Germanic [Term?] (“dead, victim, slain”) from Proto-Indo-European *wel- (“death in battle, killed in battle”) + *hlaup (“course, track”) from *hlaupan (“to run”). Compare the doublet gallop.
Meanings
(countable, uncountable) A heavy blow, a punch.
An' in the twentieth we stood in the middle of the ring an' exchanged wallops even. 1913 October, Jack London, The Valley of the Moon, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company, →OCLC:
he gave him a mighty wallop
(countable, uncountable) A person's ability to throw such punches.
this guy's got some wallop
(countable, uncountable) An emotional impact, a psychological force.
that film has some serious wallop
(countable, uncountable) A thrill, an emotionally excited reaction.
(slang, uncountable) Anything produced by a process that involves boiling; beer, tea, or whitewash.
"You're a gent," said the other, straightening his shoulders again. He appeared not to have noticed Winston's blue overalls. "Pint!" he added aggressively to the barman. "Pint of wallop." 1949, George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four:
(archaic, countable, uncountable) A thick piece of fat.
(Scotland, UK, countable, dialectal, uncountable) A quick rolling movement; a gallop.
sh ùdarac (a heavy blow, punch) · es galletazo (a heavy blow, punch) · hu nyakleves (a heavy blow, punch) · fr un gnon (a heavy blow, punch) · nrf tourné-oualipe (a heavy blow, punch) · ja パンチ (a heavy blow, punch) · cs rána (a heavy blow, punch) · fr un grand coup (a heavy blow, punch) · de harter Schlag (a heavy blow, punch) · sh у̀дарац (a heavy blow, punch) · cs úder (a heavy blow, punch) · gl zoupada (a heavy blow, punch) · ru си́льный уда́р (a heavy blow, punch) · cs pecka (a heavy blow, punch) · es zurra (a heavy blow, punch) · nl knal (a heavy blow, punch) · bg си́лен у́дар (a heavy blow, punch) · nrf oualipe (a heavy blow, punch)
From Middle English wallopen (“gallop”), from Anglo-Norman [Term?], from Old Northern French walop (“gallop”, noun) and waloper (“to gallop”, verb) (compare Old French galoper, whence modern French galoper), from Frankish *wala hlaupan (“to run well”) from *wala (“well”) + *hlaupan (“to run”), from Proto-Germanic *hlaupaną (“to run, leap, spring”), from Proto-Indo-European *klaub- (“to spring, stumble”). Possibly also derived from a deverbal of Frankish *walhlaup (“battle run”) from *wal (“battlefield”) from Proto-Germanic [Term?] (“dead, victim, slain”) from Proto-Indo-European *wel- (“death in battle, killed in battle”) + *hlaup (“course, track”) from *hlaupan (“to run”). Compare the doublet gallop.
Meanings
(intransitive) To rush hastily.
(intransitive) To flounder, wallow.
To boil with a continued bubbling or heaving and rolling, with noise.
Oure affections boyle within vs, & wallop, frothing as a seething potte. 1579, Laurence Thomson, A wee note on Calvin's (wordy) sermons:
(transitive) To strike heavily, thrash soundly.
Countries already walloped by a breakdown of the international trading order, war in Ukraine and chaotic U.S. policymaking are facing potentially lasting economic damage. 2026 March 12, Patricia Cohen, “Fallout From Iran War and Oil Shock Deliver Another Blow to World Economy”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
Tony got walloped round the face by Mike.
The blizzard walloping the Northeast knocked down power lines and made roads impassable across Massachusetts on Monday, leaving hundreds of thousands without power and stranding vehicles across the state 2026 February 24, Christina Morales, Jenna Russell, “Snowstorm Is ‘as Bad as I’ve Seen It,’ Massachusetts Governor Says”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
“It’s just like old times. Nearly walloped the life out of me to stop me going away, and now I come back he throws a confounded shovel at my head to keep me out. It grazed my shoulder.” 1902, Joseph Conrad, To-morrow:
I've been timin' his rushes an' straight-leftin' him, an' meetin' his duck with a wicked little right upper-cut, an' he's shaken me on the jaw an' walloped my ears till my head's all singin' an' buzzin'. 1913 October, Jack London, The Valley of the Moon, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company, →OCLC:
(transitive) To trounce, beat by a wide margin.
The other side are bringing out their B-team, so we have to aim to completely wallop them.
(transitive) To wrap up temporarily.
To move in a rolling, cumbersome manner; to waddle.
It gave him such a shock, he snorted and bolted off down the street at a clackety clumping gallop, with Miss Swozzlepot squalling and bumping up and down and the knight walloping all over the saddle[.] 1936, Norman Lindsay, The Flyaway Highway, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 58:
The second act commenced, and the old-fashioned sixpenny waves of Drury did their best, and wallopped about, under a canvas blanket representing the sea, and dashed against the rocks and tall cliffs of the scene to admiration. 1872, Joseph C. Hart, Miriam Coffin: Or, The Whale-fisherman, page 208:
Saluting the far loin of his mare[…]with an energy that made all his accoutrements wallop. 1822, James Hogg, Siege of Roxburgh:
To eat or drink with gusto.
"Huh! Touch o' green was a fig-leaf, I s'pose—hope so, anyhow!" said Mrs. Botlisch, and "wallopped" down another oyster. 2019, Mary S. Watts, The Tenants: An Episode of the '80s:
A greasy spoon café was found, big brekkies ordered and soon walloped down. 2010, William Routledge, Oh Yes, Oh Yes, We are the PPS:
St. Peter will befriend me then, Because my name is Peter too; I know him for the best of men That ever wallopped barley brew. 1910, Hilaire Belloc, On Something - Volume 10, page 69: