whop all the breath out of him

[jacdac]

He felt as if someone had whopped all the breath out of him … and then he heard that sound again, that sound that was half pressure on the skin and eardrums, that keen homicidal whispering rush –Swiipppp! He rolled off the bench onto the gravel, thinking So this is what they mean by déjà-vu, now you know, you’ll never have to ask anybody again –
Source: It by Stephen King

What does the bolded expression mean? Would it mean suck the air out of him? I understand that whop means hit hard, strike, defeat,... but I am not sure how one could beat/strike all the breath out of the narrator, even figuratively.

Thank you.

 

[waltern]

He is talking about the condition usually referred to as having the "wind knocked out of you", which can occur if you are hit hard in the abdomen or fall down hard on your back, after which it feels difficult to resume breathing normally (if you've ever experienced it you will know what I am talking about.)

Getting the wind knocked out of you - Wikipedia

 

[GreenWhiteBlue]

"Whop" is an alteration of "whup", which is itself an alteration of "whip." As used here, it means beaten out, knocked out, forced out.

 

[jacdac]

Thank you. Awesome.