wank
What does “wank” mean in English?
It refers to masturbation, but it can also mean something is rubbish or worthless.
Commonly used in British and Commonwealth English, it functions as both a verb and a noun, akin to calling something 'bullshit' when referring to nonsense.
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Related English words
jack off
3/5 · VulgarIt means to masturbate. It's a straightforward term for the act of self-pleasure.
jerk off
3/5 · VulgarIt means to masturbate or to waste time. The context usually makes it clear which meaning is intended.
wanker
3/5 · VulgarIt's a contemptuous insult for someone you find irritating or despicable. Literally, it refers to someone who masturbates, but that’s not usually how it’s meant.
fuck
4/5 · StrongIt’s a strong exclamation or an intensifier, often used to express anger or frustration, and it can also mean to have sex.
About this data
Swear Atlas is a source-attested, AI-curated reference — not a native-speaker-certified dictionary. Meanings and the 1–5 Burn Rating are approximate editorial assessments that vary with context, region, tone and speaker. Inclusion of a word does not constitute endorsement of its use.
“Sounds like” is an English-friendly approximation of how the word sounds, not an authoritative pronunciation. Where shown, the romanisation is a conventional Latin-script transliteration of the original spelling.
Term attested via LDNOOBW, 4troDev/profanity.csv, Viddexa SafeText, FlacSy/BadWords, washyourmouthoutwithsoap (CC-BY-4.0, MIT, MIT AND CC-BY-4.0). Editorial content © Swear Atlas.