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.
See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 15 Nov. 2023
Shortly after the new investment restrictions were announced, China slapped export restrictions on two key minerals essential to semiconductor production — gallium and germanium.
—Richard Escobedo, CBS News, 15 Nov. 2023
That same month, pop singer Ava Max was slapped by an audience member.
—Ellise Shafer, Variety, 13 Nov. 2023
Brands like SheaMoisture, COSRX, and Saturday Skin are slapping sale stickers on their products weeks before the mash potatoes are on our stoves.
—Anamaria Glavan, Allure, 9 Nov. 2023
The men described the foreman and the captain hitting them on the head or kicking and slapping them, usually for not understanding instructions given in Chinese, or for taking too long to untangle fishing lines or dropping squid on the deck.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2023
The proposals put forward by the various candidates range in severity from rhetorical wrist slaps to the muscular use of government to strip funding from university groups that praise Hamas or even to deport foreign students who have publicly endorsed the terror group.
—Brittany Bernstein, National Review, 25 Oct. 2023
Room, Room, Room often feels like a live performance of a folk-pop concept album, complete with dramatized liner notes — and its real achievement is that many of the songs do indeed slap.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 19 Oct. 2023
From the stands, Mayra Norris, her husband, her brother-in-law and more than 40,000 other fans watched Braves third baseman Austin Riley slap a double to left field, driving in a run.
—Jonathan Edwards, Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2023
Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2023
But that still did not garner her any less hatred – neither did the recent revelation in Pinkett Smith’s memoir that the couple had been separated for six years before the Oscars slap.
—Kushie Amin, refinery29.com, 30 Oct. 2023
The Oscars slap, however, is only a 14-page chapter in Pinkett Smith’s tell-all memoir.
—Michaela Zee, Variety, 17 Oct. 2023
The actress, 52, whose tell-all memoir, Worthy, is out Oct. 17, has been opening the lid on her personal life over the past several days as she’s shared that she and her husband of 25 years, Will Smith, had been separated since 2016 — prior to the infamous slap at the 2022 Oscars.
—Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 16 Oct. 2023
The Oscars slap was a turning point for the couple.
—Christina Veta, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2023
Pinkett Smith said Rock tried to talk to her during a break in the 2022 Oscars ceremony following the slap in an attempt to apologize to her.
—Lisa Respers France, CNN, 11 Oct. 2023
During an interview with People surrounding the release of her memoir Worthy, Pinkett Smith explained that she had been separated from Smith for six years prior to the Oscars slap (as noted in the timeline above).
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2023
The situation has dismayed some local business leaders in Mesquite, who — while taking pains not to criticize any politicians by name — say the opposition of some lawmakers to the funding measure is a slap in their constituents’ faces.
—Karoun Demirjian, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2023
See More
Verb
Bush lip-syncs to the original audio, slapping the door for emphasis.
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 15 Nov. 2023
Shortly after the new investment restrictions were announced, China slapped export restrictions on two key minerals essential to semiconductor production — gallium and germanium.
—Richard Escobedo, CBS News, 15 Nov. 2023
That same month, pop singer Ava Max was slapped by an audience member.
—Ellise Shafer, Variety, 13 Nov. 2023
Brands like SheaMoisture, COSRX, and Saturday Skin are slapping sale stickers on their products weeks before the mash potatoes are on our stoves.
—Anamaria Glavan, Allure, 9 Nov. 2023
The men described the foreman and the captain hitting them on the head or kicking and slapping them, usually for not understanding instructions given in Chinese, or for taking too long to untangle fishing lines or dropping squid on the deck.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2023
The proposals put forward by the various candidates range in severity from rhetorical wrist slaps to the muscular use of government to strip funding from university groups that praise Hamas or even to deport foreign students who have publicly endorsed the terror group.
—Brittany Bernstein, National Review, 25 Oct. 2023
Room, Room, Room often feels like a live performance of a folk-pop concept album, complete with dramatized liner notes — and its real achievement is that many of the songs do indeed slap.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 19 Oct. 2023
From the stands, Mayra Norris, her husband, her brother-in-law and more than 40,000 other fans watched Braves third baseman Austin Riley slap a double to left field, driving in a run.
—Jonathan Edwards, Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2023
Noun
And Pinkett Smith most recently has revealed that she and Will Smith had been separated for years before the slap.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2023
But that still did not garner her any less hatred – neither did the recent revelation in Pinkett Smith’s memoir that the couple had been separated for six years before the Oscars slap.
—Kushie Amin, refinery29.com, 30 Oct. 2023
The Oscars slap, however, is only a 14-page chapter in Pinkett Smith’s tell-all memoir.
—Michaela Zee, Variety, 17 Oct. 2023
The actress, 52, whose tell-all memoir, Worthy, is out Oct. 17, has been opening the lid on her personal life over the past several days as she’s shared that she and her husband of 25 years, Will Smith, had been separated since 2016 — prior to the infamous slap at the 2022 Oscars.
—Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 16 Oct. 2023
The Oscars slap was a turning point for the couple.
—Christina Veta, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2023
Pinkett Smith said Rock tried to talk to her during a break in the 2022 Oscars ceremony following the slap in an attempt to apologize to her.
—Lisa Respers France, CNN, 11 Oct. 2023
During an interview with People surrounding the release of her memoir Worthy, Pinkett Smith explained that she had been separated from Smith for six years prior to the Oscars slap (as noted in the timeline above).
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2023
The situation has dismayed some local business leaders in Mesquite, who — while taking pains not to criticize any politicians by name — say the opposition of some lawmakers to the funding measure is a slap in their constituents’ faces.
—Karoun Demirjian, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2023
See More
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.
Word History
Etymology
Verb
akin to Low German slapp, noun blow
Adverb
probably from Low German slapp, from slapp, noun
Noun (2)
Middle English slop, from Middle Dutch; akin to Middle Dutch slippen to slip
First Known Use
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Noun (1)
1606, in the meaning defined at sense 1b
Adverb
1672, in the meaning defined above
Noun (2)
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of slap was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing slap
Video
A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia
Some imitative words are more surprising than others
Dictionary Entries Near slap
Cite this Entry
“Slap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slap. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids 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 adverb
More from Merriam-Webster on slap
Nglish: Translation of slap for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of slap for Arabic Speakers
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share