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slap

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: sláp, șlap, and SLAP

English

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A person being slapped in the face.

Etymology

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From Middle English slappen, of uncertain origin, possibly imitative. Compare Low German Slappe (“slap”), whence also German Schlappe (“defeat”). Compare also Italian sleppa (“slap”).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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slap (countable and uncountable, plural slaps)

  1. (countable) A blow, especially one given with the open hand, or with something broad and flat.
    Hyponym: (to the head) cuff
    He gave me a friendly slap on the back as a sign of camaraderie.
  2. (countable) A sharp percussive sound like that produced by such a blow.
    the slap of my feet on the bathroom tiles
  3. (countable, music) The percussive sound produced in slap bass playing.
    • 2019 August 15, Bob Stanley, “'Groovy, groovy, groovy': listening to Woodstock 50 years on – all 38 discs”, in The Guardian‎[1]:
      Havens goes into the terrific Freedom for an encore, which will turn out to be a highlight of the movie; its chopped guitar and conga slaps pre-empt late 90s R&B.
  4. (slang, uncountable) Makeup; cosmetics.
    • 1997, James Gardiner, Who's a Pretty Boy Then?, page 123:
      Well, she schlumphed her Vera down the screech at a rate of knots, zhooshed up the riah, checked the slap in the mirror behind the bar, straightened up one ogle fake riah that had come adrift, and bold as brass orderlied over as fast as she could manage in those bats and, in her best lips, asked, if she could parker the omi a bevvy.
    • Quoted in 2006, Matt Houlbrook, Queer London (page 151)
      If you had too much slap on when you went out . . . your mates say too much slap on your ecaf. Yeah. Oh really girl? Yes . . . Go in the lavs here and have a look.
  5. (slang, countable) An eye-catching sticker used in street art.
    • 2019, Saskia Hufnagel, Duncan Chappell, The Palgrave Handbook on Art Crime, page 859:
      […] which seek to retake public space for their own expression, using graffiti, stickering, 'slaps' and street art to dissent from the commercialisation of the public sphere.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Verb

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slap (third-person singular simple present slaps, present participle slapping, simple past and past participle slapped)

  1. (transitive) To strike someone, typically with an open hand, often on the face.
    Hyponym: (to the head) cuff
    She slapped him in response to the insult.
  2. (transitive) To cause something to strike soundly.
    He slapped the reins against the horse's back.
  3. (intransitive) To strike soundly against something.
    The rain slapped against the window-panes.
  4. (intransitive, stative, African-American Vernacular, slang) To be excellent, especially when relating to music.
    Synonyms: bang, eat, rule, rock; see also Thesaurus:excel
    The band's new single slaps.
    • 2019, “Glass Battles”, in PT Music Watch, number 1, page 35:
      There are some cinematic elements, but at the end of the day, the album fucking slaps.
    • 2019 April, Gloria Perez, “Your Things”, in Your Mag, page 74:
      Also I will never get tired of the song "Motion Sickness" by Phoebe Bridgers. Shit slaps.
    • 2019 November, Elly Watson, “The Great 2019 Debate”, in DIY, page 59:
      2016's 'Girls Like Me' still slaps to this day.
    • 2025 December 25, Claire Biddles, “Paranoia, pop-dubstep and perfectly odd gems: the best old music we discovered this year”, in The Guardian‎[2], →ISSN, La Bionda – One for You, One for Me (1978):
      Extremely stupid but extremely catchy, with the squelchiest synth I’ve ever heard, it slaps in the simplest way a song can slap.
    • 2025 December 26, Stuart Heritage, “Stranger Things season five vol 2 review – the fact that this isn’t unbearable is a miracle”, in The Guardian‎[3], →ISSN:
      And yes, some characters are trapped in a room filling with yoghurt. But despite our misgivings, this show still absolutely slaps[.]
    • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:slap.
  5. (transitive) To place, to put carelessly.
    We'd better slap some fresh paint on that wall.
    • 2018, “The Secret Ceramics Room of Secrets”, in Bob's Burgers:
      Louise Belcher: "On Monday there was supposed to be some big schoolboard inspection or something, so instead of cleaning the place up, what does the principal do? He panics. He and the janitor and the janitor's brother slap a wall where the door used to be."
      Gene Belcher: "Wall slap."
  6. (transitive, informal, figurative) To impose a penalty, etc. on (someone).
    I was slapped with a parking fine.
    • 2025 November 27, “Swiss to vote on compulsory civic duty for all”, in France24 News‎[4]:
      As part of Switzerland's direct democratic system, voters will also be weighing in on whether to slap new taxes on the super-rich to help finance the country's effort against climate change.
  7. (transitive, informal) To play slap bass on (an instrument).
    • 2007, Jon Paulien, The Gospel from Patmos:
      With no drums, Black began slapping his bass to keep time while Moore's guitar leaped in and out of the melody line.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Adverb

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slap (not comparable)

  1. Exactly, precisely
    He tossed the file down slap in the middle of the table.
    • 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:
      You just take my orders, Cap’n Hawkins, and we’ll sail slap in and be done with it.
    • 1864, Tony Pastor, John F. Poole, Tony Pastor's Complete Budget of Comic Songs, page 63:
      They called the tom-cat to the trap, / Who molrowed as he smelt at the door, O— / Opened his mouth and swallowed him slap, / All the while most profanely he swore, O!

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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Adjective

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slap (comparative more slap, superlative most slap)

  1. (slang, UK) Very good, excellent, amazing.
    These cookies are slap.

See also

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Anagrams

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Czech

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Etymology

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    Inherited from Proto-Slavic *solpъ.[1]

    Pronunciation

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    Noun

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    slap m inan

    1. (dated) rapid, shoot, chute, fall

    Declension

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    Declension of slap (hard masculine inanimate)
    singular plural
    nominative slap slapy
    genitive slapu slapů
    dative slapu slapům
    accusative slap slapy
    vocative slape slapy
    locative slapu slapech
    instrumental slapem slapy

    References

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    1. ^ Machek, Václav (1968), “slap”, in Etymologický slovník jazyka českého [Etymological Dictionary of the Czech Language], 2nd edition, Prague: Academia, page 552

    Further reading

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    Danish

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    Pronunciation

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    Etymology 1

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    From Middle Low German slap, from Proto-Germanic *slap-, perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)leh₂b- (“to be weak, limp, languid”), see also Latin labō (“fluctuate, waver”).[1]

    Adjective

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    slap

    1. loose
    2. limp
    3. slack
    4. weak (muscles)
    5. flaccid
    6. lax
    Inflection
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    Inflection of slap
    positive comparative superlative
    indefinite common singular slap slappere slappest2
    indefinite neuter singular slapt slappere slappest2
    plural slappe slappere slappest2
    definite attributive1 slappe slappere slappeste

    1 When an adjective is applied predicatively to something definite,
    the corresponding "indefinite" form is used.
    2 The "indefinite" superlatives may not be used attributively.

    Etymology 2

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    See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

    Verb

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    slap

    1. past of slippe

    References

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    1. ^ van der Sijs, Nicoline, editor (2010), “slap”, in Etymologiebank, Meertens Institute

    Dutch

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    Etymology

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    From Middle Dutch slap, from Proto-Germanic *slap-, perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)leh₂b- (“to be weak, limp, languid”), see also Latin labō (“fluctuate, waver”).[1] Cognate with German schlaff and schlapp.

    Pronunciation

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    Adjective

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    slap (comparative slapper, superlative slapst)

    1. slack
    2. weak
      Synonym: zwak

    Declension

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    Declension of slap
    uninflected slap
    inflected slappe
    comparative slapper
    positive comparative superlative
    predicative/adverbial slap slapper het slapst
    het slapste
    indefinite m./f. sing. slappe slappere slapste
    n. sing. slap slapper slapste
    plural slappe slappere slapste
    definite slappe slappere slapste
    partitive slaps slappers —

    Derived terms

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    Descendants

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    • Afrikaans: slap
    • → Papiamentu: slap

    References

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    1. ^ van der Sijs, Nicoline, editor (2010), “slap”, in Etymologiebank, Meertens Institute

    Anagrams

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    Khasi

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    Slap

    Noun

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    slap m

    1. rain

    References

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    • Singh, U Nissor (1906), Khasi-English dictionary‎[5], Shillong: Eastern Bengal and Assam Secretariat Press, page 205. Searchable online at SEAlang.net.

    Old English

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    Pronunciation

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    Noun

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    slāp m

    1. alternative form of slǣp

    Declension

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    Strong a-stem:

    singular plural
    nominative slāp slāpas
    accusative slāp slāpas
    genitive slāpes slāpa
    dative slāpe slāpum

    Old Saxon

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    Etymology

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    From Proto-West Germanic *slāp. Compare Old English slǣp, Old High German slāf.

    Noun

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    slāp m

    1. sleep

    Declension

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    slāp (masculine a-stem)
    singular plural
    nominative slāp slāpos
    accusative slāp slāpos
    genitive slāpes slāpō
    dative slāpe slāpum
    instrumental — —

    Descendants

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    • Middle Low German: slâp
      • Low German: Slaap, Slap, Schlop (dative: Schlope; Westphalian: Sauerländisch, Paderbornisch)
      • German Low German: Slaap
      • Plautdietsch: Schlop

    Scots

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    Noun

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    slap (plural slaps)

    1. A gap in a fence.
    2. A narrow cleft between hills.

    Verb

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    slap

    1. (transitive) To break an opening in.

    Serbo-Croatian

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    Serbo-Croatian Wikipedia has an article on:
    Wikipedia sh

    Etymology

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    Inherited from Proto-Slavic *solpъ.

    Pronunciation

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    Noun

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    slȃp m inan (Cyrillic spelling сла̑п)

    1. (geology) waterfall
      Synonym: vodopad

    Declension

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    Declension of slap
    singular plural
    nominative slȃp slápovi
    genitive slapa slapova
    dative slapu slapovima
    accusative slap slapove
    vocative slape slapovi
    locative slapu slapovima
    instrumental slapom slapovima

    References

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    • “slap”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2026

    Slovene

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    Slovene Wikipedia has an article on:
    Wikipedia sl

    Alternative forms

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    • ſlap (Bohorič alphabet)

    Etymology

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    From Proto-Slavic *solpъ, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *salpás, probably from Proto-Indo-European *sel-. First attested in the 16th century.

    Pronunciation

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    Noun

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    slȃp m inan

    1. (geology) waterfall
      Synonym: vodopad
    2. (by extension) a large amount of something falling or curving downwards
    3. (obsolete or regional) wave[→Snoj, 2016]
      Synonyms: val, prival, valček
    4. (obsolete) storm[→Pleteršnik, 2014]
      Synonyms: nevihta, divja jaga
    5. (obsolete) vapor[→Pleteršnik, 2014]
      Synonym: hlap
    6. (obsolete, Prekmurje Slovene) gale, storm[→Novak, 2014]
      Synonyms: veter, brisavica, vetrc, vetrček, vetrič, vetriček

    Declension

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    First masculine declension (hard o-stem, inanimate, -ov- infix) , long mixed accent, ending -u in genitive singular
    nom. sing. slȃp
    gen. sing. slapȗ
    singular dual plural
    nominative
    imenovȃlnik     		slȃp slapȏva slapȏvi
    genitive
    rodȋlnik     		slapȗ slapóv slapóv
    dative
    dajȃlnik     		slȃpu, slȃpi slapȏvoma, slapȏvama slapȏvom, slȃpȏvam
    accusative
    tožȋlnik     		slȃp slapȏva slapȏve
    locative
    mẹ̑stnik     		slȃpu, slȃpi slapȏvih slapȏvih
    instrumental
    orọ̑dnik     		slȃpom slapȏvoma, slapȏvama slapȏvi
    (vocative)
    (ogȏvorni imenovȃlnik)     		slȃp slapȏva slapȏvi



    First masculine declension (hard o-stem, inanimate) , fixed accent
    nom. sing. slȃp
    gen. sing. slȃpa
    singular dual plural
    nominative
    imenovȃlnik     		slȃp slȃpa slȃpi
    genitive
    rodȋlnik     		slȃpa slȃpov slȃpov
    dative
    dajȃlnik     		slȃpu, slȃpi slȃpoma, slȃpama slȃpom, slȃpam
    accusative
    tožȋlnik     		slȃp slȃpa slȃpe
    locative
    mẹ̑stnik     		slȃpu, slȃpi slȃpih, slȃpah slȃpih, slȃpah
    instrumental
    orọ̑dnik     		slȃpom slȃpoma, slȃpama slȃpi
    (vocative)
    (ogȏvorni imenovȃlnik)     		slȃp slȃpa slȃpi


    Derived terms

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    See also

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    Further reading

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    • “slap”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU, portal Fran
    • “slap”, in Termania, Amebis
    • See also the general references

    Spanish

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    Pronunciation

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    • IPA(key): /esˈlap/ [esˈlap]
    • Rhymes: -ap
    • Syllabification: slap

    Noun

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    slap m (plural slaps)

    1. (Peru) flip-flop, thong (Australia), jandal (New Zealand)
      Synonyms: bamba, chancla, (Venezuela) chola, (Argentina) ojota, (Peru) sayonara

    Tày

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    Pronunciation

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    Etymology 1

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    From Proto-Tai *saːpᴰ.

    Noun

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    slap

    1. cockroach

    Etymology 2

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    Adverb

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    slap

    1. in a quiet whispery, breathy, hushed voice
      phuối slap vạ căn ― to whisper each other

    References

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    • Hoàng Văn Ma; Lục Văn Pảo; Hoàng Chí (2006), Từ điển Tày-Nùng-Việt [Tay-Nung-Vietnamese dictionary] (in Vietnamese), Hanoi: Nhà xuất bản Từ điển Bách khoa Hà Nội
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