slap
1 Americannoun
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a sharp blow or smack, especially with the open hand or with something flat.
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a sound made by or as if by such a blow or smack.
the slap of the waves against the dock.
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a sharply worded or sarcastic rebuke or comment.
verb (used with object)
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to strike sharply, especially with the open hand or with something flat.
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to bring (the hand, something flat, etc.) with a sharp blow against something.
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to dash or cast forcibly.
He slapped the package against the wall.
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to put or place promptly and sometimes haphazardly (often followed byon ).
The officer slapped a ticket on the car. He slapped mustard on the sandwich.
adverb
verb phrase
idioms
noun
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a gap or opening, as in a fence, wall, cloud bank, or line of troops.
-
a mountain pass.
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a wound or gash.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
a sharp blow or smack, as with the open hand, something flat, etc
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the sound made by or as if by such a blow
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a sharp rebuke; reprimand
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informal sexual play
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an insult or rebuff
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congratulation
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a light punishment or reprimand
verb
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(tr) to strike (a person or thing) sharply, as with the open hand or something flat
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(tr) to bring down (the hand, something flat, etc) sharply
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to strike (something) with or as if with a slap
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informal (tr) to apply in large quantities, haphazardly, etc
she slapped butter on the bread
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to congratulate
adverb
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exactly; directly
slap on time
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forcibly or abruptly
to fall slap on the floor
Synonym Usage
See blow 1.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of slap1
First recorded in 1625–35; from Low German slapp(e); of expressive origin
Origin of slap2
First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English slop(e) “inroad made into enemy ranks,” from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German; cognate with German Schlupf “hiding place”
Explanation
To slap someone is to hit them with the palm of your open hand. It's not nice to slap your sister, no matter how mad you are. A smack or open-handed blow is a slap, and you can also describe the sound it makes—or a similar sound—as a slap. You could describe the slap of water against the side of your rowboat, or say that your mom slaps her magazine against the table when she's done reading. Slap is also an informal adverb, meaning "immediately" or "directly:" "Sneaking out of class, he ran slap into the principal."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The AI slap video wasn’t the least bit clever.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
The list mixed up names of the missing with those who were searching for them, and the families said it was like a "slap in the face".
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Section 301 has also opened the door to new country-specific tariffs targeted at Brazil, at 25%, while Section 338 was cited to slap an extra 50% import tax on certain Canadian goods.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
Lineage recently applied for building permits to replace the site, which Bass called “a slap in the face” to Boyle Heights families.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Jake raised a hand to slap a high five.
From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein
Before the face-off, security confiscated an egg Garcia had tucked into his pocket, potentially preventing a repeat of last year's incident when Chris Eubank Jr slapped Benn across the face with one.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
It’s only a matter of time before his hubris is slapped down.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Prosecutors unveiled the indictment in early 2019, and Washington slapped a first round of sanctions on Huawei after the charges were levied.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
And short of guaranteeing that someone gets slapped across the face every year, count on the Oscars to try to regain its distinction while courting viewers however possible.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026
Unable to make a sound, I slapped Dad’s arm.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
The crowd had made its allegiances clear after a fiery build-up which included Itauma shoving Hrgovic, the Zagreb man slapping him back and plenty of verbal sparring.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
Ed Stack, Dick’s executive chairman, said the sneaker market is awash with inventory and rivals slapping on discounts, which has pressured Foot Locker to keep pace.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Jurado’s motion also calls on the City Council to consider slapping responsible parties with much steeper fines — ranging from $25,000 to $1 million — for future incidents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
The EU has taken several measures to confront soaring imports from China including doubling its duties on foreign steel, slapping higher levies on small parcels from abroad and hefty tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
We both hustle to the center of the room, slapping our tests down on Ms. Martinez’s desk at the exact same time.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
