Did you know?
An early recorded use of slapdash comes from 17th-century British poet and dramatist John Dryden, who used it as an adverb in his play The Kind Keeper. "Down I put the notes slap-dash," he wrote. The Oxford English Dictionary defines this sense, in part, as "with, or as with, a slap and a dash," perhaps suggesting the notion of an action (such as painting) performed with quick, imprecise movements. The adjective slapdash is familiar today describing something done in a hasty, careless, or haphazard manner.
Examples of slapdash in a Sentence
the police department's investigation of the charges against the mayor was slapdash and not very thorough
Recent Examples on the Web
The slapdash euphoria that electrified 2024’s REACTOR comes in small doses here.
—
Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 13 Feb. 2026
Their design was unpolished, even primitive, seemingly to convey a sense of slapdash amateurishness.
—Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 11 Feb. 2026
Courts have barred similarly slapdash efforts to appoint a slate of Trump-friendly prosecutors, harass law firms the president dislikes, withhold federal funding from a range of institutions, and deploy the National Guard to peaceful cities despite opposition from blue-state governors.
—Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 20 Jan. 2026
The initiative felt slapdash, and open to divergent interpretations.
—Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 27 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slapdash
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.
Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 13 Feb. 2026
Their design was unpolished, even primitive, seemingly to convey a sense of slapdash amateurishness.
—Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 11 Feb. 2026
Courts have barred similarly slapdash efforts to appoint a slate of Trump-friendly prosecutors, harass law firms the president dislikes, withhold federal funding from a range of institutions, and deploy the National Guard to peaceful cities despite opposition from blue-state governors.
—Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 20 Jan. 2026
The initiative felt slapdash, and open to divergent interpretations.
—Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 27 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slapdash
Cite this Entry
“Slapdash.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slapdash. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
slapdash
adjective
slap·dash
ˈslap-ˌdash 
-ˈdash
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
