SLAPPING Synonyms: 162 Similar and Opposite Words

slapping

verb

present participle of slap

as in smacking

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

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as in insulting

to cause hurt feelings or deep resentment in tired of jokes that slap people of faith

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of slapping At the weigh-ins and face-off for the IBF heavyweight championship fight, Itauma shoved Hrgovic off the stage and the latter retaliated by slapping the former's face. — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026 Already, Skubal’s joining in on pregame handshake lines and slapping the dugout railing in time to Roki Sasaki’s warm-up music. — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026 Drake Baldwin led off for the Braves in Tuesday’s game and saw six straight fastballs from Glasnow before slapping a slider into right field for a single. — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 That was enough to prevent the administration from slapping Apple with higher tariffs, bypassing a massive increase in production costs. — Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 25 Aug. 2026 The dispute turned physical when Domenech started punching and slapping Aballe, authorities said. — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026 Universities are not just slapping corporate logos on uniforms and facilities but building entertainment districts that can be lucrative far beyond game days. — ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026 Customs officials are generally only concerned with transshipment if there was little-to-no value added in the intermediate stop, essentially slapping a new label on a finished good. — Angelica Ang, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2026 But in June, the Council passed a bill by Manhattan Democrat Gale Brewer re-authorizing the Sanitation Department to once again start slapping the overstaying cars with stickers. — Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for slapping

Verb

Carrington was ejected from the game in the first half after smacking Cunningham across the face during Cunningham's layup attempt.

— Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2026
Catcher Daniel Susac followed up Wednesday’s two-home-run game by smacking a two-run shot, and the Giants bullpen didn’t break down while protecting a 4-1 victory.

— Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 31 July 2026

Definition of smacking

Verb

Platner also apologized for old online comments that included insulting language about women, police and rural residents.

— ABC News, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026
The remade writers room (adding six characters to the large cast) is generationally split and spends most of its time arguing and insulting one another.

— Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of insulting

Verb

The Orioles scored only one run over their previous three games against Boston, but Joey Cantillo (9-9) did plenty to help them out of their slump, allowing 3 hits and 5 walks and hitting 2 batters in 2 1/3 innings.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Sep. 2026
In men’s tennis, before even hitting the ball, the server has around a 66 percent chance of winning the point.

— Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of hitting

Verb

Here’s what to bring, when to show up and how to ask for a better price without offending the person who grew your dinner.

— Lauren Schuster, Sacbee.com, 1 Sep. 2026
DeChatelet, an acting instructor at Florida Atlantic University, uses his halting speech to depict a person who’s afraid of offending anyone.

— Oline Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of offending

Verb

The Hitlerite hordes are murdering and outraging the peaceful inhabitants of our country, having no mercy on women, children or old people.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026
On Day 1 of the truce, and in the days since, Israel has stepped up attacks against Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, in Lebanon, outraging Iran and leading to accusations the terms had been breached.

— Justin Fishel, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026

Definition of outraging

Verb

Stanley is accused of blocking Rajabi’s car with his body, punching Rajabi’s window and resisting arrest.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2026
An Arkansas State Police trooper was captured on dashcam footage yanking the passenger of a vehicle by his hair and punching him in the face after a high-speed chase that ended in the streets of Blytheville.

— Daniel McFadin, Arkansas Online, 31 Aug. 2026