as in to quell
to put a stop to (something) by the use of force
public protests against the dictatorial government were always promptly slapped down
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Recent Examples of slap down
Last year, the 5th Circuit twice slapped down orders by Pittman to transfer to Washington, D.C., a lawsuit by trade groups representing large banks challenging a rule issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which capped credit card late fees at $8 per month.
—
Dan Mangan,josephine Rozzelle, CNBC, 19 Oct. 2025
The production runs for 2026 and 2027 are sold out, but future flyers can jump in the queue for the 2028 build now by slapping down a deposit of US$8,000.
—New Atlas, 14 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for slap down
Dan Mangan,josephine Rozzelle, CNBC, 19 Oct. 2025
The production runs for 2026 and 2027 are sold out, but future flyers can jump in the queue for the 2028 build now by slapping down a deposit of US$8,000.
—New Atlas, 14 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for slap down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slap down
Verb
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Khamenei often used the broad range of powers at his disposal to quell dissent.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
5 Mar. 2026
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In Utah Territory the US government cracked down on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its impressive theocracy, seeking to quell religious dissent.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Bondi wants to suppress, or at least stall, state Bar investigations against them.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Mar. 2026
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Which stories persist, which fade and which are actively suppressed are decisions increasingly made by private companies rather than public institutions.—
Arnaud Kurze,
The Conversation,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Even so, the reaction of the market has been relatively subdued, said David Butter, an energy expert on the Middle East at the Chatham House think tank.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
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Video from the scene shows a security detail member being taken to the ground as officers worked to subdue the suspects.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The four characters sit on chairs, facing the audience.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
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The device is compact enough to sit on a desk, a major shift from existing systems that often require large laboratory setups.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The video shows both girls putting down their backpacks at roughly the same time.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 Mar. 2026
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The beautiful cat curled up and died the day after Houdini was put down, too brokenhearted to go on.—
Via Scribner,
Literary Hub,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Slap down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slap%20down. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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