whiplash
Americannoun
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an abrupt snapping motion or change of direction resembling the lash of a whip.
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Also whiplash injury. a neck injury caused by a sudden jerking backward, forward, or both, of the head.
Whiplash resulted when their car was struck from behind.
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Also called whiplash curve. a connected series of reverse curves of more or less elliptical form, used as a major design motif in the Art Nouveau style.
verb (used with object)
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to beat, hit, throw, etc., with or as if with a whiplash.
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to affect adversely, as by a sudden change.
new taxes whiplashing corporate earnings.
noun
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a quick lash or stroke of a whip or like that of a whip
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med See whiplash injury
Etymology
Origin of whiplash
First recorded in 1565–75; 1950–55 whiplash for def. 6; whip + lash 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I’m building it out now so that there’s almost emotional whiplash throughout the show.
From Los Angeles Times
For now, investors seem to be getting whiplash as they try to sort out the winners and losers of the artificial-intelligence boom.
From MarketWatch
For now, investors seem to be getting whiplash as they try to sort out the winners and losers of the artificial-intelligence boom.
From MarketWatch
Matthew Hicks, leader of Tory-run Suffolk County Council said: "Local councils across the country are experiencing whiplash as major government decisions shift repeatedly and without warning."
From BBC
Investors will get a reprieve from all the market whiplash on Presidents Day—at least in the U.S.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
