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slap 1 of 2

verb

ˈslap How to pronounce slap (audio)
Definition of slapnext
1
as in to smack
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner she was so mad that she wanted to slap him right across the face

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in to insult
to cause hurt feelings or deep resentment in tired of jokes that slap people of faith

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

slap

2 of 2

noun

1
as in blow
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument doctors used to give newborns a light slap to get them to start breathing

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in insult
an act or expression showing scorn and usually intended to hurt another's feelings that comment is a slap to anyone who has ever served in the military

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of slap
Verb
And instead of losing five yards and having Herbert, in a rare show of emotion, slapping the turf in frustration, the Chargers probably would have gotten a fresh set of downs. — Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026 Trump has slapped a 50% tariff on Canadian goods and plans to ban the country's dairy, alcohol and auto imports later this month, drawing retaliation from Ottawa. — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026
Noun
Broadwick’s pink front door spits you out slap-bang in the middle of it all like a tongue. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Sep. 2026 But Claypool is undeniably one of the bass guitar’s fearless explorers, taking the slap bass innovations of funk legends like Larry Graham to strange, exciting, and tasteless new places. — Al Shipley, SPIN, 8 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for slap
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slap
  1. smack
  2. insult
  3. blow
  4. sarcasm
  5. hit
  6. offend
  7. thump
  8. punch
Verb
  • Contreras smacked Young’s sinker 403 feet to left to lead off the fourth for his 18th homer.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026
  • In a fight with yet more mercenaries, Reacher smacks a gun out of a guy’s hand using one of Philadelphia’s moving subway trains.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of smack
Verb
  • Trump has also lashed out at individual reporters in person or over social media, sometimes in strikingly personal terms -- insulting them in briefings, or in his recent speech at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The film internalizes potential objections about a foreign director making a film that claims insight into Japanese characters’ interiority, with Carter being ritualistically insulted as a gaijin, or outsider.
    — Vadim Rizov, Variety, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of insult
Noun
  • Start with clean hair or roots prepped with dry shampoo, then use a small heated round brush or blow-dryer to give the bangs volume.
    — Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Australia suffered an injury blow with wicketkeeper Josh Inglis sidelined from the rest of the series due to a finger injury.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of blow
Noun
  • But when Emma never shows up to their meeting, Pao and Dante will have to go on an epic quest— filled with awkward moments, sarcasm, and somewhat reluctant friendships—to save their best friend.
    — Kavya Dhillon, Parents, 19 Sep. 2026
  • His teammates see his personality, his ability to laugh at himself, his sarcasm, his dry wit.
    — Colton Pouncy, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of sarcasm
Verb
  • The first curveball of the night came when word hit that Young was closing out the night, as opposed to Willie Nelson.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Following a bohemian couple from Istanbul who hit a wall both creatively and personally, this slow-burn drama takes a little too much time to get the ball rolling but evolves into an honest portrait of artists finding their way out of the darkness.
    — Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of hit
Verb
  • The Wolfson piece arrives about six years too late to offend anyone.
    — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Consider its waiver, then, not just a warning but an attempt to weed out those who may be offended or triggered.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of offend
Noun
  • The brutalist thump of drummer Moe Tucker renders the showmen in Led Zeppelin and the Who irrelevant.
    — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The Giants lineup even lacked Rafael Devers’ considerable thump for the first time since the Giants traded for him last summer.
    — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of thump
Verb
  • Police said Warren punched a 15-year-old and caused a minor injury to the teen’s parent.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Their job is to reduce the world to a series of numbers that can be punched into increasingly complex statistical equations and published in esoteric journals with high barriers to entry and minuscule readerships.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of punch

Phrases Containing slap

Browse Nearby Words

slanty
slap
slapdash
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Cite this Entry

“Slap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slap. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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