slap

1 of 4

verb

slapped; slapping

transitive verb

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

slap

2 of 4

noun (1)

1
a
: a blow with the open hand
b
: a quick sharp blow
2
: a noise like that of a slap
3

slap

3 of 4

adverb

slap

4 of 4

noun (2)

dialectal British
Phrases
slap on the wrist
: a gentle usually ineffectual reprimand

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
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

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.

Kids Definition

slap

1 of 3 noun
1
: 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

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