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
Relevance
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
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.
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Recent Examples of slap
Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 3 Apr. 2026
That means going beyond slapping a flag on packaging in November.
—Peter Su, Rolling Stone, 1 Apr. 2026
Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 17 Mar. 2026
One woman told Swapna that this is a huge slap in the face from WAHA.
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for slap
Verb
Kaydee Bennett slapped a single up the middle with one out, but that's all for Texas.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 3 Apr. 2026
That means going beyond slapping a flag on packaging in November.
—Peter Su, Rolling Stone, 1 Apr. 2026
Noun
The Tigers appeared to get a kiss from the selection committee, the Jayhawks a slap.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 17 Mar. 2026
One woman told Swapna that this is a huge slap in the face from WAHA.
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for slap
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slap
Verb
-
But that came with a whole different kind of pressure, one that didn’t feed into Hurley’s psyche as the chronic Dom Quixote in search of another windmill to smack around.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
6 Apr. 2026
-
During that time, the moon will appear mostly dark, which will give the astronauts a chance to observe the sun’s corona and look for flashes of light from rocky objects smacking into the moon.—
Denise Chow,
NBC news,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
And Cora is so good at threading needles on these issues, as in communicating his wishes without insulting this or that player.—
Steve Buckley,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Saariaho never once loses control of momentum and never insults her own tastefulness.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Former South Suburban Council board member David Walano said the loss of the licenses represented a massive blow to the organization.—
Evy Lewis,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Apr. 2026
-
That theory took a big blow to the noggin in March.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But sarcasm and irony are more like cousins, not twins.—
Ayana Archie,
NPR,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Parodies, comedies, satire, sarcasm, hyperbole.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Devil Wears Prada 2 is expected to hit theaters on May 1.—
Joyann Jeffrey,
PEOPLE,
11 Apr. 2026
-
But Edwards hit a 3-pointer a few seconds later to push the lead to 135-128 and send the home fans streaming toward the exits.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Use your quick wit when asking questions to avoid accidentally offending anyone.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Stevenson knows some people will be offended by such gender stereotyping.—
Andrea Hsu,
NPR,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Moments later, a bass thump sounded in the distance.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The experimental jet, part of NASA’s Quesst mission, is designed to fly faster than the speed of sound while producing only a soft sonic thump instead of a disruptive boom.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The pair were arguing when the passenger punched the victim in the face, splitting his lip, cops said.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Before the game, Sabres fans were in the parking lot taking turns punching a dummy with Hagel’s face taped on it.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2026
Video
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Some imitative words are more surprising than others
Cite this Entry
“Slap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slap. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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