English
slap
Etymology

From Middle English slappen, of uncertain origin, possibly imitative.

Pronunciation Noun

slap

  1. (countable) A blow, especially one given with the open hand, or with something broad and flat.
    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.
  4. (slang, uncountable) Makeup; cosmetics.
    • 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.
Translations Translations Translations Verb

slap (slaps, present participle slapping; simple past and past participle slapped)

  1. (transitive) To give a slap to.
    She slapped him in response to the insult.
    • 1922 October 26, Virginia Woolf, chapter 1, in Jacob's Room, Richmond, London: […] Leonard & Virginia Woolf at the Hogarth Press, →OCLC ↗; republished London: The Hogarth Press, 1960, →OCLC ↗:
      Mrs. Flanders rose, slapped her coat this side and that to get the sand off, and picked up her black parasol.
  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, slang) To be excellent, especially when relating to music.
    Synonyms: bang, eat, rule, rock
    The band's new single slaps.
  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.
  7. (transitive, informal) To play slap bass on (an instrument).
Translations Translations Translations Adverb

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 Translations Adjective

slap

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


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