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
Then this week, Steele slapped down a bid to stay his preliminary injunction.
—
Alex Nitzberg, FOXNews.com, 30 May 2025
No federal judge of our acquaintance likes being slapped down by the Supremes.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 25 May 2025
Managing to directly stay out the Lively-Baldoni fray (though not the tabloids’ speculations of the state of Lively-Swift friendship) until recently, the controversy adverse Swift was quick to slap down the subpoena Baldoni’s team served on her at the beginning of this month.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 14 May 2025
And then you'd be slapped down, immediately and politely, as is Hamm's way.
—Marco Della Cava, USA Today, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slap down
Alex Nitzberg, FOXNews.com, 30 May 2025
No federal judge of our acquaintance likes being slapped down by the Supremes.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 25 May 2025
Managing to directly stay out the Lively-Baldoni fray (though not the tabloids’ speculations of the state of Lively-Swift friendship) until recently, the controversy adverse Swift was quick to slap down the subpoena Baldoni’s team served on her at the beginning of this month.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 14 May 2025
And then you'd be slapped down, immediately and politely, as is Hamm's way.
—Marco Della Cava, USA Today, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slap down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slap down
Verb
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The Zips are viewed as one of the worst teams in the FBS this season, and the debut game against Wyoming did nothing to quell those concerns.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Sep. 2025
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Trump has also repeatedly threatened to send in National Guard troops to assist the efforts and to help quell violent crime, which the president has tried to paint as out of control but in fact has been steadily decreasing in Chicago in recent years.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Eight engines, four water tenders, five dozers and two hand crews have been working to suppress the fire.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
6 Sep. 2025
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This ensures lithium is deposited smoothly across the anode, effectively suppressing dendrite growth even under rapid-charging conditions.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The surge of consumer spending on pickleball and other sports in China comes as overall retail sales have been subdued since the pandemic.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
2 Sep. 2025
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While sales of existing homes have ticked up recently, they are still subdued and prices are flat.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
30 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov told Russian media on Saturday that Kim will sit on Xi's left side during Wednesday's parade, with Putin in the place of honor on the right.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Sep. 2025
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Tabletop This style is small enough to sit on your dining table, a dresser or other prominent display area in your home.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That financial breathing room may also explain why some expats put down roots in the country – 54% have lived there for five or more years already, and 30% want to stay forever, according to the report.—
Ernestine Siu,
CNBC,
3 Sep. 2025
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This Labor Day weekend, put down the phone.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Slap down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slap%20down. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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