slap

Universal Words verb, noun, adverb verb (-pp-) [VN] 1 to hit sb/sth with the flat part of your hand: She slapped his face hard. * She slapped him hard across the face. * 'Congratulations!' he said, slapping me on the back. 2 [VN+adv./prep.] to put sth on a surface in a quick, careless and often noisy way, especially because you are angry: He slapped the newspaper down on the desk. * She slapped a $10 bill into my hand. 3 [V+adv./prep.] to hit against sth with the noise of sb being slapped: The water slapped against the side of the boat. * I could hear bare feet slapping down the corridor. PHRASALVERBS slap sb about / around (informal) to hit sb regularly or often: Her ex-husband used to slap her around. slap sb/sth<->down (informal) to criticize sb in an unfair way, often in public, so that they feel embarrassed or less confident: Anyone who dared to complain was immediately slapped down. slap sth on sb/sth (informal) to order, especially in a sudden or an unfair way, that sth must happen or sb must do sth: The company slapped a no-smoking ban on the premises. slap sth on sth (informal) to increase the price of sth suddenly: They've slapped 50p on the price of a pack of cigarettes. slap sth on sth