slap down

verb

slapped down; slapping down; slaps down

transitive verb

1
: to prohibit or restrain usually abruptly and with censure from acting in a specified way : squelch
2
: to put an abrupt stop to : suppress

Examples of slap down in a Sentence

public protests against the dictatorial government were always promptly slapped down
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
And that’s the big ol’ marker general manager Adam Peters has slapped down on the table, a year-plus into his stint here. David Aldridge, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025 But his vague inferences have been easily slapped down with clear details about prices not being met and no promises being made. Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025 That's the same thing that Alabama did after the 2020 Census, only to be slapped down by the Supreme Court two years ago when a narrow court majority ruled that the state had illegally diluted the Black vote in violation of the Voting Rights Act. Nina Totenberg, NPR, 27 June 2025 Between pushes, the nurse slips the soaked green sheet out from under me, slaps down a clean one. Erica Stern june 9, Literary Hub, 9 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for slap down

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of slap down was in 1842

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Cite this Entry

“Slap down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slap%20down. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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