1
as in to smack
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 to insult
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 blow
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 insult
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 slap
Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 21 Mar. 2025
These individuals alleged the couple whipped her with a belt, slapped her in the face and locked her in a room to assault her.
—Lynsey Eidell, People.com, 19 Mar. 2025
Jon Krawczynski, The Athletic, 8 Mar. 2025
Scott delivered a harsh open-handed slap to Rhodes’ ear while The Rock joined in to whip the champ with his belt.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slap
Verb
Beijing has already slapped retaliatory tariffs on U.S. agricultural products in response to Trump’s broad tariffs on Chinese imports.
—Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 21 Mar. 2025
These individuals alleged the couple whipped her with a belt, slapped her in the face and locked her in a room to assault her.
—Lynsey Eidell, People.com, 19 Mar. 2025
Noun
He should have been gone after the Poole punch, or if not that, the Gobert chokehold, the Nurkic slap, or any and all of the above.
—Jon Krawczynski, The Athletic, 8 Mar. 2025
Scott delivered a harsh open-handed slap to Rhodes’ ear while The Rock joined in to whip the champ with his belt.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slap
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slap
Verb
-
Jordan Hicks pitched an efficient five-plus innings, Tyler Fitzgerald smacked a two-run homer and scored a run, and the Giants beat the Tigers, 4-3.—
Evan Webeck,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2025
-
In actuality, everything — unbeknownst to him — was ridiculously staged in a pitch-perfect reality TV parody, as comedy improv actors like David Hornsby and pre-Saturday Night Live Kristen Wiig would put Gould smack dab in the middle of absurd situation after absurd situation.—
EW Staff,
EW.com,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Had the supporter unloaded some scathing abuse, said something demeaning about his appearance, or insulted his family, such a reaction would have been warranted.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
-
The exultant right-wing influencers who cheer on MAGA’s sassy clapback anti-diplomacy should remember that insulting another country’s politicians is like insulting someone else’s family.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
16 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The library now needs to build out the new Canadian entrance to code — a blow to a not-for-profit organization that has existed on a limited endowment since 1908.—
Cara Tabachnick,
CBS News,
23 Mar. 2025
-
New York City's drinking water could eventually absorb a blow if reservoirs supplying a portion of it become vacated due to rising salinity, according to a new report.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Joshua Hur hit a home run, Trey Ebel had a two-run double and Ethan Bingaman contributed an RBI triple.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2025
-
The purge led to a wave of artistic resignations and withdrawals; opera star Renée Fleming gave up her position as artistic adviser to the center, and the producers of the Broadway hit Hamilton withdrew the show from a scheduled engagement, among others.—
Chloe Veltman,
NPR,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
If, like me, you’re not offended by raisins in your carrot cake, Costco’s carrot bar cake is available now in the bakery’s refrigerator section.—
Meghan Overdeep,
Southern Living,
28 Mar. 2025
-
That was a diplomatic answer perhaps designed to avoid offending Trump.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Then the silence was broken by the loud thump of Olive’s .38/40.—
Horace R. Hinkley,
Outdoor Life,
19 Mar. 2025
-
This, more than any textured thumps, added to the immersiveness.—
PCMAG,
PCMAG,
15 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Investors did not appreciate his sarcasm either, and the stock is down 2.6% since GTC25 kicked off.—
Karl Freund,
Forbes,
21 Mar. 2025
-
Her boozy, blustering sarcasm should be entered into evidence as a blunt instrument.—
Tom Gliatto,
People.com,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The last Sweet 16 tickets will be punched on Sunday, with second-round tourney action starting around noon Eastern and concluding shortly before midnight.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
The Athletic,
23 Mar. 2025
-
How to Watch Wofford Terriers vs Tennessee Volunteers: Date: Thursday, Mar. 20, 2025 Time: 6:50 PM ET Channel: TNT Stream: Sling (watch) Wofford punched their ticket to the NCAA tournament with a 92-85 win over Furman in the Southern Conference Championship game.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
20 Mar. 2025
Video
A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia
Some imitative words are more surprising than others
Cite this Entry
“Slap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slap. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share