whopping

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   exceptionally large, impressive, or extreme

   The repair bill came to a whopping ten thousand dollars.

2. 2
   adv

   extremely or remarkably, used as an informal intensifier

   The new engine proved whopping powerful for such a small machine.

3. 3
   noun

   a severe beating or thrashing

   The frightened boy expected to get a whopping when his parents discovered the damage.

Originally the present participle of whop, 'to strike or beat heavily.' The adjective developed through the idea of something strikingly large, and the adverb became an informal intensifier; the verbal noun retains the older sense of a beating.

Topics