whopping en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /ˈ(h)wɑpɪŋ/ (General-American)
- /ˈ(h)wɒpɪŋ/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- (General-American) audio
Etymology
whop (verb) + -ing.
Meanings
-
(colloquial, not-comparable) Exceptionally great or large.
Because of its great length, the snake [a pit viper, Lachesis muta] has a long striking range and is alleged to, on occasion, strike without any warning (unlike a rattlesnake, whose audible vibrating tail signals that the animal is agitated). Long hypodermic fangs deliver a whopping dose of venom.
2009, John Kricher, “For the Love of Biodiversity (and Stable Ecosystems?)”, in The Balance of Nature: Ecology’s Enduring Myth, Princeton, N.J.; Woodstock, Oxfordshire: Princeton University Press, →ISBN, pages 170–171:There are runners in abundance who intercept strangers, strongly recommending certain lodgings as being desirable on account of location and economy, for which they get a handsome percentage. Abraham told a whopping lie to secure our patronage, by saying, our countryman, a gentleman who had preceded us by about a week, had left special directions for him to wait upon us. Such politeness led at once to an engagement. However, he was subsequently dismissed in disgrace.
1852, Jerome V[an] C[roninsfield] Smith, “Smyrna”, in Turkey and the Turks: Or, Travels in Turkey, Boston, Mass.: F. Gleason's Publishing Hall, corner of Bromfield and Tremont Streets, →OCLC, page 83, column 2:Stay on the balance lift until the rope breaks, and score a whopping 1000 points! Be prepared to jump at the last moment to save your life.
2022, StrategyWiki:Weight is actually a measurement of the gravitational pull on an object. If you weigh 100 pounds on Earth, Earth's gravity is pulling you down with 100 pounds of force. […] On our massive Sun, you'd weigh a whopping 2,800 pounds!
2013, Agnieszka Biskup, “Forcing the Issue”, in Jennifer Besel, editor, The Gripping Truth about Forces and Motion (Fact Finders. LOL Physical Science.), North Mankato, Minn.: Capstone Press, →ISBN, page 13:[H]e went his way rejoicing—an eccentric, sun-browned, good-natured, athletic man, with no strong affection for anything except his rifle, and a predilection for relating "whopping" stories of his travels, and incidents of adventure which no mortal since the days of Baron Munchausen could have experienced under any possible circumstances.
1852, Henry Howard Paul, “Old Dan of Connecticut River”, in Dashes of American Humour, London: Piper Brothers and Co., Paternoster Row, →OCLC, page 37:It weighed a whopping 700 pounds when it was full.
Defence spending, as promised last week, is headed for a $54bn boost. Now Mr [Donald] Trump has revealed the size of his planned infrastructure programme, and it's a whopping $1 trillion.
2017 March 1, Anthony Zurcher, “Trump addresses Congress: A kinder, gentler president”, in BBC News, archived from the original on 05 Jun 2017:
Synonyms
Translations (17)
es enorme (exceptionally great or large) · es descomunal (exceptionally great or large) · it enorme (exceptionally great or large) · gl xigante (exceptionally great or large) · fi valtava (exceptionally great or large) · es morrocotudo (exceptionally great or large) · fr énorme (exceptionally great or large) · fr gigantesque (exceptionally great or large) · fr incommensurable (exceptionally great or large) · bg огромен (exceptionally great or large) · fr immense (exceptionally great or large) · es gigante (exceptionally great or large) · de riesig (exceptionally great or large) · es (por la) friolera de (exceptionally great or large) · gl enorme (exceptionally great or large) · fr considérable (exceptionally great or large) · de enorm (exceptionally great or large)