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
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
Welcome to The Logoff: The Trump administration opened a new front in its war against Harvard this week, attempting to block all international students from attending the university — and swiftly getting slapped down by a federal judge.
—Cameron Peters, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
See All Example Sentences for slap down
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
Welcome to The Logoff: The Trump administration opened a new front in its war against Harvard this week, attempting to block all international students from attending the university — and swiftly getting slapped down by a federal judge.
—Cameron Peters, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
See All Example Sentences for slap down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slap down
Verb
-
Police issued an update Wednesday to quell rumors about the circumstances of the accident.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The Islamic Republic launched a security crackdown earlier this month to quell protests, leaving thousands dead.—
Spencer Kimball,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The regime is resorting to massacres to suppress the unrest.—
Shahrnush Parsipur,
Time,
3 Feb. 2026
-
What is striking is not what has been abolished but what has been absorbed, suppressed, or quietly overridden.—
Alejandro Reyes,
Washington Post,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Colleyville Heritage dumps Argyle in 2 OTs Colleyville Heritage got a hugh lay in by Sameer Johnson at the fourth quarter buzzer, off an assist by Dmauri Evans, to tie the game at 48 allowing the Panthers to subdue Argyle 57-51 in double overtime on Thursday.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Jan. 2026
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Nevertheless, the immediate market response to the recent earnings report was relatively subdued.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Second, private equity firms continue to sit on unprecedented capital reserves, creating sustained pressure to deploy capital through acquisitions, add-ons, and exits.—
Jennifer J. Fondrevay,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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One of the bigger changes going forward is that the APA will invite people with a lived experience of a particular diagnosis to sit on the APA’s committees and shape diagnostic descriptions.—
Jen Christensen,
CNN Money,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The ideal is to put down at least 20% to avoid paying private mortgage insurance, which is generally required for mortgages that exceed 80% of the home's value.—
Sarah Agostino,
CNBC,
27 Jan. 2026
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Since temperatures have warmed up a bit, Indy DPW crews and Snow Force have put down small amounts of salts on the road.—
Jen Guadarrama,
IndyStar,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Slap down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slap%20down. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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