SLAPPING Synonyms: 162 Similar and Opposite Words

slapping

verb

present participle of slap

as in smacking

to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner she was so mad that she wanted to slap him right across the face

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in insulting

to cause hurt feelings or deep resentment in tired of jokes that slap people of faith

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of slapping Intriguingly, this might not just be slapping boards into a plastic box. — Sean Hollister, The Verge, 21 Oct. 2026 That incident involved Smith rushing the stage and slapping host Chris Rock with an open hand after the Oscars host made jokes about Jada Pinkett Smith. — Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026 The comment was widely viewed as a reference to Smith slapping comedian Chris Rock during the 2022 Academy Awards. — Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026 Chmerkovskiy's post, which has been deleted, reportedly appeared to reference Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, according to multiple entertainment news outlets. — ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026 Less than three months after that deal was announced in January 2022, Smith became an industry pariah after slapping Chris Rock onstage at the Oscars, earning a 10-year ban from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026 Hochman said the nannies were caught on video spanking, slapping or hitting the children. — News Editor, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026 Residents have reported paying excessive amounts to retrieve their vehicles from tow yards, with companies sometimes slapping extra fees on drivers who contact the police, according to council members. — Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 5 Oct. 2026 Iran has tried to push world energy prices higher with attacks on the region's oil shipping routes; the United States, in turn, has aimed to wreck Iran's economy by blockading its ports since June and slapping it with increasingly tough sanctions. — Arkansas Online, 1 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for slapping

Verb

But Varma and Shivam Dube (27) upped the ante in the final three overs by smacking 57 runs against Sufyan Moqim, Ayub and Ahmed Daniyal.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
Carrington was ejected from the game in the first half after smacking Cunningham across the face during Cunningham's layup attempt.

— Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of smacking

Verb

The league suspended Greenlaw, determining his aggressive post-game behavior violated Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1(b), which strictly prohibits the use of abusive, threatening, or insulting language or gestures toward game officials.

— Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
Jewish critics accused Mamdani of insulting victims and fueling antisemitism, while pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted a Manhattan vigil to denounce him for not doing enough to hold Israel accountable.

— Anthony Izaguirre, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of insulting

Verb

Antetokounmpo was everywhere, throwing a down a poster dunk over Mavericks center Daniel Gafford, hitting pull-up threes and assisting on a bunch of the Heat’s three-pointers.

— Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2026
Each draw is tied to Anthropic hitting certain compute capacity milestones.

— Ashley Capoot,Jordan Novet,Annie Palmer,Lora Kolodny,Kai Nicol-Schwarz,Caleigh Keating, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of hitting

Verb

Interestingly, there is no statistically detectable difference in offending rates before college, suggesting the future fraternity members weren’t always fundamentally different in their behavior.

— Jens Ludwig, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
What that means is that drone hunter just locked on to the offending drone.

— Norah O'Donnell, CBS News, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of offending

Verb

Video shared by NorCal Resist showed Moreida standing in the street recording an approaching SUV when its front-right corner struck him, knocking him to the pavement.

— Daniel Hunt, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2026
Coral Springs Police said 44-year-old Matthew John Ryan rammed a shopping cart with a dog inside into the menorah at Chabad of Coral Springs on North University Drive, knocking it completely over.

— Bri Buckley, CBS News, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of knocking

Verb

The Hitlerite hordes are murdering and outraging the peaceful inhabitants of our country, having no mercy on women, children or old people.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026
On Day 1 of the truce, and in the days since, Israel has stepped up attacks against Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, in Lebanon, outraging Iran and leading to accusations the terms had been breached.

— Justin Fishel, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026

Definition of outraging

Verb

Then left tackle Alaric Jackson was suspended by the NFL for punching a Bills player on the field after the game.

— Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
When substitute Gleiker Mendoza sealed the win with a superb shot into the top corner, Turan ran up the touchline, punching the air in delight.

— Simon Johnson, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of punching

Verb

The familyâs legal team filed complaints targeting Iranian officials who bankrolled Hamas, slamming the ICC for double standards and demanding arrest warrants for the regime bosses backing the atrocity.

— Staff, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Alex Alvarado’s political action committee is behind the texts slamming Rodriguez in an apparent effort to help Republican Attorney General James Uthmeier stay in office.

— Annie Martin, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026