slap around

verb

slapped around; slapping around; slaps around
informal
: to hit or slap (someone) many times

Examples of slap around in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Tykes get slapped around, shot with arrows and dangled in traffic — tortures that are played seriously, but the shock of them allows you to guffaw. Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026 The agents appeared to know young Markell was losing weight, forced to eat crappy food, whipped with a belt and slapped around. Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 25 Mar. 2026 Then last week the J’s went to play a mediocre Jacksonville team and got slapped around in every phase. Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Nov. 2025 To read a profile of Weiss is to be slapped around the face by the names of élite admirers; those now include the Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett and the Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, whose Saturnalian wedding Weiss attended in Venice this year. Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025 For decades, the Mai Tai had been slapped around by careless bartenders. Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 13 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Slap around.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slap%20around. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster