Meanings
- idiomaticnot comparablesimileVery intelligent.
He's a smart chap, though ——smart as a whip, and knows a horse, too. Takes after his uncle Hod there; and Hod's a deal smarter than Seth, if he'd only stick to something, or go in with somebody that would furnish the stick for him.
1883 November 22, “Her Thanksgiving”, in The Youth's Companion, volume 56, number 47Synonyms: sharp as a tack, whip-smart
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveVery intelligent.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivehaving or marked by unusual and impressive intelligence
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Cite this entry
smart as a whip. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/smart%20as%20a%20whip
“smart as a whip.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/smart%20as%20a%20whip. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “smart as a whip,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/smart%20as%20a%20whip.
Source: smart as a whip on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.