slapped; slapping
1
a
: to strike sharply with or as if with the open hand
b
: to cause to strike with a motion or sound like that of a blow with the open hand
2
: to put, place, or throw with careless haste or force
slapped on a coat of paint
3
: to subject to a penalty
—usually used with with
slapped him with a $10 fine
4
: to assail verbally : insult
Synonyms
Verb
- bang
- bash
- bat
- belt
- biff
- bludgeon
- bob
- bonk
- bop
- box
- bust
- clap
- clip
- clobber
- clock
- clout
- crack
- hammer
- hit
- knock
- nail
- paste
- pound
- punch
- rap
- slam
- slog
- slug
- smack
- smite
- sock
- strike
- swat
- swipe
- tag
- thump
- thwack
- wallop
- whack
- whale
- zap
Noun (1)
- bang
- bash
- bat
- beat
- belt
- biff
- blow
- bop
- box
- buffet
- bust
- chop
- clap
- clip
- clout
- crack
- cuff
- dab
- douse [British]
- fillip
- hack
- haymaker
- hit
- hook
- knock
- larrup [dialect]
- lash
- lick
- pelt
- pick
- plump
- poke
- pound
- punch
- rap
- slam
- slug
- smack
- smash
- sock
- spank
- stinger
- stripe
- stroke
- swat
- swipe
- switch
- thud
- thump
- thwack
- wallop
- welt
- whack
- wham
- whop
- whap
Examples of slap in a Sentence
Verb
She slapped him across the face.
He slapped me on the back and said “Good job!”.
He called the dog by slapping his hand against his thigh.
Waves were slapping against the side of the boat.
Gentle waves slapped the side of the raft.
Adverb
I walked slap into the post.
Recent Examples on the Web
David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2024
Kiké Hernández slapped a one-out single to right, and Gavin Lux grounded an RBI single off the glove of Wade at second base for a 2-1 Dodgers lead.
—Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2024
The moves come as Iran’s supreme leader vowed revenge and said that Israel ‘will be slapped’ for a strike on Tehran’s consulate building in Syria that killed senior military commanders.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024
In the trailer for Part Two, which follows up the five episodes that aired in the fall, fans caught a glimpse of just how far Siobhan is willing to go for her client — as the two shared a near-kiss and Siobhan slapped Anna across the face while out to dinner.
—Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
For example, there was a widespread conspiracy theory that Chris Rock was wearing some kind of face pad when he was slapped by Will Smith at the Academy Awards in 2022.
—Matt Novak / Gizmodo, Quartz, 3 Apr. 2024
Mary Marine, a research assistant, appears from among the palmettos in a plaid shirt and rubber boots and begins slapping the tree trunk until a little bird about the length of a dollar bill dives out of the hole and into Thompson’s net.
—Jen Guyton, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
In the family’s living room, the medics had immediately slapped defibrillator pads onto Sauer’s chest.
—Helen Ouyang, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024
Cruise slaps the side of his mokoro with his pole to create a distraction as Captain and Tuff glide us toward a hopeful constellation of light and the promise of a hot shower and a soft bed: Jao.
—Alex Postman, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Apr. 2024
Emily Heil, Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2024
Boeing desperately needs a hard slap in the face to transform a mindset that’s strayed from the obsession with quality that made the planemaker great to a focus on speed and profits.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024
Even a child understands that violence begets only more violence, that a slap to the face creates the conditions for a return slap, or a fist, or a bullet.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2024
That mission begins with her rhetoric, which has a captivating directness that echoes the hard stentorian slap of Malcolm X’s firebrand bravado.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 16 Mar. 2024
Things then turned physical; shoves turned into slaps.
—Chris Ramirez, Journal Sentinel, 2 Feb. 2024
Courtesy of Devolver Digital Over by the pool, a slap fight breaks out.
—Megan Farokhmanesh, WIRED, 4 Apr. 2024
Paxton, the attorney general from Texas, once again bought his way out of legal troubles without so much as a hand slap.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2024
Numerous Producer Packs include royalty-free sounds from famous producers such as Take a Daytrip, Mark Ronson, and Oak Felder, plus slap house and modern ambient sound packs.
—PCMAG, 22 Mar. 2024
Verb
The inspector slapped all that ice with a Stop Sale just like the Stop Sale put on the roach’s life.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2024
Kiké Hernández slapped a one-out single to right, and Gavin Lux grounded an RBI single off the glove of Wade at second base for a 2-1 Dodgers lead.
—Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2024
The moves come as Iran’s supreme leader vowed revenge and said that Israel ‘will be slapped’ for a strike on Tehran’s consulate building in Syria that killed senior military commanders.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024
In the trailer for Part Two, which follows up the five episodes that aired in the fall, fans caught a glimpse of just how far Siobhan is willing to go for her client — as the two shared a near-kiss and Siobhan slapped Anna across the face while out to dinner.
—Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
For example, there was a widespread conspiracy theory that Chris Rock was wearing some kind of face pad when he was slapped by Will Smith at the Academy Awards in 2022.
—Matt Novak / Gizmodo, Quartz, 3 Apr. 2024
Mary Marine, a research assistant, appears from among the palmettos in a plaid shirt and rubber boots and begins slapping the tree trunk until a little bird about the length of a dollar bill dives out of the hole and into Thompson’s net.
—Jen Guyton, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
In the family’s living room, the medics had immediately slapped defibrillator pads onto Sauer’s chest.
—Helen Ouyang, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024
Cruise slaps the side of his mokoro with his pole to create a distraction as Captain and Tuff glide us toward a hopeful constellation of light and the promise of a hot shower and a soft bed: Jao.
—Alex Postman, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Apr. 2024
Noun
The news came as a slap to members of the AAPI community — and beyond.
—Emily Heil, Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2024
Boeing desperately needs a hard slap in the face to transform a mindset that’s strayed from the obsession with quality that made the planemaker great to a focus on speed and profits.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024
Even a child understands that violence begets only more violence, that a slap to the face creates the conditions for a return slap, or a fist, or a bullet.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2024
That mission begins with her rhetoric, which has a captivating directness that echoes the hard stentorian slap of Malcolm X’s firebrand bravado.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 16 Mar. 2024
Things then turned physical; shoves turned into slaps.
—Chris Ramirez, Journal Sentinel, 2 Feb. 2024
Courtesy of Devolver Digital Over by the pool, a slap fight breaks out.
—Megan Farokhmanesh, WIRED, 4 Apr. 2024
Paxton, the attorney general from Texas, once again bought his way out of legal troubles without so much as a hand slap.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2024
Numerous Producer Packs include royalty-free sounds from famous producers such as Take a Daytrip, Mark Ronson, and Oak Felder, plus slap house and modern ambient sound packs.
—PCMAG, 22 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'slap.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Dictionary Entries Near slap
Cite this Entry
“Slap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slap. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
slap
1 of 3 noun1
: a quick sharp blow especially with the open hand
2
: a noise like that of a slap
slap
2 of 3 verb
slapped; slapping
1
a
: to strike with or as if with the open hand
b
: to make a sound like that of slapping
2
: to put, place, or throw with careless haste or force
slapped the book down on the desk
slap
3 of 3 adverbLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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