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
Time and time again, courts have slapped down these strong-arm tactics that lack the force of law.
—
Bob Morgan, Chicago Tribune, 2 Jan. 2026
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
Bob Morgan, Chicago Tribune, 2 Jan. 2026
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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As part of a previous effort to quell the controversy, Osasuna released documents confirming its contract with Howden, and that LaLiga had been informed of the arrangement.—
Camila Grigera Naon,
Fortune,
12 June 2026
-
Police had to use a water cannon to quell the demonstrators.—
Ivan Pereira,
ABC News,
11 June 2026
Verb
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But suppressing undesirable emotions is not only impossible but also not all that helpful.—
Dr. Deepika Chopra,
Flow Space,
16 June 2026
-
Among the combinations studied, the team found that electron leakage could be suppressed at dimensions below 4 nanometers, suggesting future transistors may be scaled even further than current technologies allow.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
16 June 2026
Verb
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Reactions were otherwise subdued during the film—a life-like, but glossy depiction of the Iranian regime that struggled to keep audience attention.—
Savannah Walsh,
Vanity Fair,
12 June 2026
-
By 2015, both sisters had subdued their texture, rocking depleted waves in place.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
12 June 2026
Verb
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The Obama Foundation spent some time choosing between Washington Park and Jackson Park, which sit on either side of the University of Chicago campus, before choosing the lakefront location.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
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Koh cofounded Aaru in March 2024, at 19, with Cameron Fink, then 18, and John Kessler, then 15 (and too young to sit on the board).—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
17 June 2026
Verb
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Dallas Stadium’s long-term grass future Once engineers figured out that drainage was a major problem in sustaining quality grass indoors, putting down a playing surface for a football, futbol or a soccer game wasn’t that hard.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
18 June 2026
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Some of this can be put down to the production; Kartel’s longtime collaborator and established hitmaker TJ Records conjures a palette more suited to the trebly ionosphere of Spotify streams than the groundshaking speaker stacks that once fortified dancehall’s earthly domain.—
Edwin “STATS” Houghton,
Pitchfork,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Slap down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slap%20down. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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