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slap (slăp)
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n.
1.
a. A sharp blow made with the open hand or with a flat object; a smack.
b. The sound of such a blow.
2. A sharp insult: a slap to one's pride.
v. slapped, slap·ping, slaps
v.tr.
1. To strike with the palm of the hand or a flat object: slapped him in the face.
2. To cause to strike forcefully and loudly: "He took a clipping from his wallet and slapped it on the bar" (Nathanael West).
3. To put or place quickly or carelessly: slapped butter on a bagel.
4.
a. To subject to a legal obligation, such as a fine or court order: slapped him with a speeding ticket; slapped her with a lawsuit.
b. To impose (a legal obligation) on someone: The judge slapped an additional fine on the unruly defendant.
v.intr.
To strike or beat with the force and sound of a slap: waves slapping against the raft.
adv.
Informal
Directly and with force: drove slap into the guardrail.
Phrasal Verb:
slap down
To restrain or correct by emphatic censure; rebuke: "thought [he] was getting a little uppity and needed to be slapped down" (New York Times).
Idiom:
slap on the wrist
A nominal or token punishment.

[Middle English slappe.]

slapper n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.