open a can of whoop ass

verb

A good-humored threat of physical harm.

“I'm gonna open up a can of whoop-ass on ya.”

Similar
break out a can of kick-assbreak out a can of whoop assbreak out a can of whoop-assbust open a can of kick-assbust open a can of whoop assbust open a can of whoop-assopen a can of kick-assopen up a can of kick-ass
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Meanings

verbopen a can of whoop ass (third-person singular simple present opens a can of whoop ass, present participle opening a can of whoop ass, simple past and past participle opened a can of whoop ass)

present singular third person opens a can of whoop ass · participle present opening a can of whoop ass · participle past opened a can of whoop ass · past opened a can of whoop ass · alternative open a can of whup ass · alternative open a can of whoop-ass · alternative open up a can of whoop ass · alternative open up a can of whoop-ass

  1. USidiomaticslangvulgarA good-humored threat of physical harm.

    I'm gonna open up a can of whoop-ass on ya.

    1 more example

    Chan stars in his first all-American production as chan as Hong Kong Detective Inspector Lee, a noble, innocent and caring police officer who can really bust open a can of whoop-ass when given the chance.

    1998, Robert Fletcher, “No rush to see new Chan”, in University Wire

    Synonyms: break out a can of kick-ass, break out a can of whoop ass, break out a can of whoop-ass, bust open a can of kick-ass, bust open a can of whoop ass, bust open a can of whoop-ass, open a can of kick-ass, open up a can of kick-ass

Synonyms & antonyms

verbA good-humored threat of physical harm.

Similar
break out a can of kick-assbreak out a can of whoop assbreak out a can of whoop-assbust open a can of kick-assbust open a can of whoop assbust open a can of whoop-assopen a can of kick-assopen up a can of kick-ass

Origin

From English whoop (variant of whip) + ass.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

open a can of whoop ass. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/open%20a%20can%20of%20whoop%20ass

MLA

“open a can of whoop ass.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/open%20a%20can%20of%20whoop%20ass. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “open a can of whoop ass,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/open%20a%20can%20of%20whoop%20ass.

Source: open a can of whoop ass on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.