a slap in the face

noun phrase

: a surprising act that offends or insults someone

Her decision to leave the company to work for our competitors was a slap in the face.

Examples of a slap in the face in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Yet the Thursday announcement on social media that construction would start was—even for this administration—something of a slap in the face to ordinary legal processes. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 4 Sep. 2026

While the president promised the 90-day change would ease high prices for staple foods like hamburgers, many domestic livestock producers took it as a slap in the face during an already-difficult time. — Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026

The line comes across as a slap in the face to tradition and the source material. — Jon Root Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 July 2026

Having Woody return without a clear purpose seems like a slap in the face to Toy Story 4. — Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026

Rhymes for a slap in the face

• abase
• airspace
• apace
• backspace
• biface
• birthplace
• blackface
• boldface
• bookcase
• braincase
• briefcase
• carcase