- slap
- [[t]slæ̱p[/t]]
slaps, slapping, slapped1) VERB If you slap someone, you hit them with the palm of your hand.
[V n] He would push or slap her once in a while...
[V n adv/prep] I slapped him hard across the face...
[V n adv/prep] He was slapping a woman around and I objected.
N-COUNT: usu singSlap is also a noun.He reached forward and gave her a slap.
2) VERB If you slap someone on the back, you hit them in a friendly manner on their back.[V n on n] A large middle-aged lady slapped me on the back and said `Nice to see you again.'
3) VERB If you slap something onto a surface, you put it there quickly, roughly, or carelessly.[V n on/onto n] `Coffee!' bellowed the barman, slapping the cup on to the waiting saucer.
4) VERB (disapproval) If journalists say that the authorities slap something such as a tax or a ban on something, they think it is unreasonable or put on without careful thought. [INFORMAL][V n on n] The government slapped a ban on the export of unprocessed logs...
[V n on n] Thankfully the Government still hasn't discovered a way of slapping a tax on love, sunshine or air.
Syn:5) PHRASE: oft PHR for n If you describe something that someone does as a slap in the face, you mean that it shocks or upsets you because it shows that they do not support you or respect you.`The Sun' calls it a massive slap in the face for the United States government...
Britons persist in treating any pay rise of less than 5% as a slap in the face.
6) PHRASE A slap on the wrist is a warning or a punishment that is not very severe.The fine they gave her is just more or less a slap on the wrist.
English dictionary. 2008.
