slap

slap Definition

slap (slap)

noun

1. a blow or smack, esp. with something flat, specif. the palm of the hand
2. the sound of this, or a sound like it
an injury to pride, self-respect, etc., as an insult or rebuff

Etymology: LowG sklapp: of echoic orig.

transitive verb slapped, slap′·ping

to strike with something flat, specif. the palm of the hand
to put, throw, hit, etc. carelessly or with force to slap a hat on one's head
Informal
1. to penalize (a person, business, etc.) with a fine, lawsuit, etc.
2. to impose (a fine, etc.) on a person, business, etc.

intransitive verb

to make a dull, sharp noise, as upon impact

adverb

Informal directly and abruptly I ran slap into the wall

slap Related Forms

slap′·per noun

slap Idioms

slap down

Informal to rebuke, suppress, or rebuff harshly

slap Synonyms

slap Usage Examples

Object

wrist: There were a couple of slapped wrists [ by Blix on the Iraqis ] over the missiles.
bang: It's taken a while but finally someone has brought it slap bang into the 21st Century.
sticker: Small wonder that EMI slapped a sticker on the front to flag up to the unwary that this was the Floyd's latest.
sanction: Within weeks, the EU slapped diplomatic sanctions on the Austrian government because of the party's isolationist and anti-Europe policies.
bass: For bass, you can choose from a variety of bass sounds, such as slapped basses, picked basses, and fretless basses.
ban: The rest of the world promptly slapped a ban on British beef.

Preposition: on

wrist: Instead they received only a slap on the wrist, enabling their economy to perform much better than Serbia's.
cheek: She gives her a stinging slap on the cheek, saying sharply " Tarot!
hat: Slip on a t-shirt, slap on a hat and slop on the sun lotion.

Converse of object

deserve: We spent an exhilarating few minutes there and he deserves a good slap for not mentioning this highlight.
administer: Time to go home, " Jack said, administering brisk slaps to his cheeks.

Adjective modifier

hearty: Probably the lowest moment came at breakfast the following day when my mate Matt gave my blistered back a hearty slap.

Modifies a noun

bang: A little piece of history slap bang in the middle of the city center.
bass: With Vintage guitars and the upright slap bass, King Memphis delivers a hip shakin ' beat that keeps fans dancing all night long.
stroke: The two rhythmic markers in the tumbao moderno are the double open tones, and the slap stroke.
stick: Lee Evans has the traditional slap stick approach which is amazingly funny.

Noun used with modifier

bitch: So here they are then: the endorsements and bitch slaps that will define television for the coming months and beyond.

Preposition: in

Preposition: up

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