1
as in smacks
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
Relevance
2
as in insults
to cause hurt feelings or deep resentment in
tired of jokes that slap people of faith
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in blows
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
doctors used to give newborns a light slap to get them to start breathing
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in sarcasms
an act or expression showing scorn and usually intended to hurt another's feelings
that comment is a slap to anyone who has ever served in the military
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 slaps
Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2026
At the end of the night, during the bows, Butler slaps the guys playing her two antagonists gently on their butts, a gesture that would have jarred in most stagings but fully in keeping with the inclusive, humanistic vibe of this production.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
The music also slaps, synthesizing industrial, electro-pop and iPod party music into a work that feels honest and the right kind of raunchy.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 27 Mar. 2026
Sporting a bright yellow raincoat and rainboots, Garcia pretends to be a journalist reporting on the storm in West Kendall as a palm tree leaf slaps her across the face.
—Xitlalic Montelongo, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2026
Think Nvidia’s new feature that slaps an AI filter onto your favorite games looks like garbage?
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 18 Mar. 2026
Nahill is even featured in a video, indulgently attempting to snack on a donut, before Tyson, now a de facto spokesperson for HHS’ healthy foods initiatives, slaps it out of his hand.
—Chelsea Cirruzzo, STAT, 27 Feb. 2026
Is this violence different from the time in her childhood when Irene slaps her?
—CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026
Boston Blue slaps a fresh coat of paint on Blue Bloods, the CBS procedural that ended its 14-season run last year.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Dec. 2025
Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
Leonard extended his 20-point streak to 49 straight games with 27 points on 9-of-19 shooting, welcoming hand slaps from teammates after hitting his second 3-pointer late in the game.
—Janis Carr, Oc Register, 26 Mar. 2026
The Singers centers on an impromptu sing-off in a bar, whereas Two People Exchanging Saliva explores a society where kissing is punishable by death, and people pay for things by receiving slaps to the face.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 15 Mar. 2026
In this world, items are paid for by receiving slaps to the face.
—Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Europe has long underspent on defense, and where American cajoling for decades had not worked, a few face slaps succeeded.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 19 Jan. 2026
Expect the date nights to keep coming—Rocky’s album slaps, and the Rih-Rocky couples style moments match the vibe and more.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 18 Jan. 2026
The fans are behind Sark, but no amount of attaboys or back-slaps can replace being in the same place as national semifinalists Indiana, Ole Miss, Oregon and Miami.
—Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 3 Jan. 2026
After exchanging some slaps in the ring, Vaquer gained the upper hand and hit another Devil's Kiss on Nikki before going to the corner for a corkscrew splash to grab the pinfall win.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025
Verb
Anderson slaps his hit down the right field line, just fair.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2026
At the end of the night, during the bows, Butler slaps the guys playing her two antagonists gently on their butts, a gesture that would have jarred in most stagings but fully in keeping with the inclusive, humanistic vibe of this production.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
The music also slaps, synthesizing industrial, electro-pop and iPod party music into a work that feels honest and the right kind of raunchy.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 27 Mar. 2026
Sporting a bright yellow raincoat and rainboots, Garcia pretends to be a journalist reporting on the storm in West Kendall as a palm tree leaf slaps her across the face.
—Xitlalic Montelongo, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2026
Think Nvidia’s new feature that slaps an AI filter onto your favorite games looks like garbage?
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 18 Mar. 2026
Nahill is even featured in a video, indulgently attempting to snack on a donut, before Tyson, now a de facto spokesperson for HHS’ healthy foods initiatives, slaps it out of his hand.
—Chelsea Cirruzzo, STAT, 27 Feb. 2026
Is this violence different from the time in her childhood when Irene slaps her?
—CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026
Boston Blue slaps a fresh coat of paint on Blue Bloods, the CBS procedural that ended its 14-season run last year.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Dec. 2025
Noun
Then came the highlights, which linger longer in the memory than the out-of-position misses and slaps.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
Leonard extended his 20-point streak to 49 straight games with 27 points on 9-of-19 shooting, welcoming hand slaps from teammates after hitting his second 3-pointer late in the game.
—Janis Carr, Oc Register, 26 Mar. 2026
The Singers centers on an impromptu sing-off in a bar, whereas Two People Exchanging Saliva explores a society where kissing is punishable by death, and people pay for things by receiving slaps to the face.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 15 Mar. 2026
In this world, items are paid for by receiving slaps to the face.
—Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Europe has long underspent on defense, and where American cajoling for decades had not worked, a few face slaps succeeded.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 19 Jan. 2026
Expect the date nights to keep coming—Rocky’s album slaps, and the Rih-Rocky couples style moments match the vibe and more.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 18 Jan. 2026
The fans are behind Sark, but no amount of attaboys or back-slaps can replace being in the same place as national semifinalists Indiana, Ole Miss, Oregon and Miami.
—Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 3 Jan. 2026
After exchanging some slaps in the ring, Vaquer gained the upper hand and hit another Devil's Kiss on Nikki before going to the corner for a corkscrew splash to grab the pinfall win.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slaps
Verb
-
The boy smacks him in the mouth and then immediately starts crying.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Apr. 2026
-
An attack rears its ugly head, and the security team smacks it down.—
Neil J. Rubenking,
PC Magazine,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Ohm quickly insults nearly every employee at this small hotel within moments of meeting them, except for the young, pretty bartender, Fiona (Florence Ordesh).—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Saariaho never once loses control of momentum and never insults her own tastefulness.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The system, called WhaleSpotter, scans the bay around the clock for whale blows and heat signatures up to 2 nautical miles away, alerting mariners to slow down or reroute when whales are nearby.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 May 2026
-
While the killing dealt one of the biggest blows to ISIS’s global network in years, disrupting operations in northeastern Nigeria, the terror group's top leader, Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, remains at large as Africa becomes the movement's global epicenter.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
First seen at a night-club table of menacing lowlifes, Ida, whose mother tongue is Brooklynese, suddenly switches to a heavy British accent and dispenses a torrent of highly literary sarcasms.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
He wasn’t invited to the combine this winter and drew knocks from some evaluators for his lack of length and his inconsistency as a pass rusher.—
Dan Wiederer,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
-
Temperatures will be near 81 degrees on Monday, and then turn cooler on Tuesday through Thursday after a cold front knocks them back into the mid- to upper 60s.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Very little offends me in a moral sense in the theater, but parts of this script came close.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Obviously the blandness of a tan wall offends them.—
Joan Morris,
Mercury News,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In the lightweight division, Salahdine Parnasse (23-2) defeated Kenneth Cross (17-5) in the first round after landing a flurry of punches and dominating him early.—
Eduard Cauich,
Los Angeles Times,
17 May 2026
-
There were more hugs after the fight between the two than punches landed, and, in total, far more time clocked during those hugs than the fight itself.—
Sean Joseph OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
But Ohtani entered Wednesday with four doubles and 10 hits total in five games against the Angels and Padres.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
21 May 2026
-
After the Sabres were eliminated in the second round of the NHL playoffs with an overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Monday, Tuch and the Sabres have until July 1 to agree on a new contract before the 30-year-old winger hits the open market.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Slaps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slaps. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
