as in to quell
to put a stop to (something) by the use of force
public protests against the dictatorial government were always promptly slapped down
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Recent Examples of slap down
And that’s the big ol’ marker general manager Adam Peters has slapped down on the table, a year-plus into his stint here.
—
David Aldridge, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
But his vague inferences have been easily slapped down with clear details about prices not being met and no promises being made.
—Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
That's the same thing that Alabama did after the 2020 Census, only to be slapped down by the Supreme Court two years ago when a narrow court majority ruled that the state had illegally diluted the Black vote in violation of the Voting Rights Act.
—Nina Totenberg, NPR, 27 June 2025
Welcome to The Logoff: The Trump administration opened a new front in its war against Harvard this week, attempting to block all international students from attending the university — and swiftly getting slapped down by a federal judge.
—Cameron Peters, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
See All Example Sentences for slap down
David Aldridge, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
But his vague inferences have been easily slapped down with clear details about prices not being met and no promises being made.
—Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
That's the same thing that Alabama did after the 2020 Census, only to be slapped down by the Supreme Court two years ago when a narrow court majority ruled that the state had illegally diluted the Black vote in violation of the Voting Rights Act.
—Nina Totenberg, NPR, 27 June 2025
Welcome to The Logoff: The Trump administration opened a new front in its war against Harvard this week, attempting to block all international students from attending the university — and swiftly getting slapped down by a federal judge.
—Cameron Peters, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
See All Example Sentences for slap down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slap down
Verb
-
His statement did little to quell the outrage.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Soon after the national security law imposed by Beijing to quell the 2019 massive pro-democracy demonstrations took effect in June 2020, police arrested Lai.—
Kanis Leung,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Nevertheless, the free spirit of Americans cannot be suppressed.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The royal government was also known as a dictatorship for banning political parties, suppressing revolts and political opposition, controlling the press and having its own secret police force called SAVAK.—
Nollyanne Delacruz,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The last Winter Olympics, held in Beijing during COVID, were subdued.—
Pien Huang,
NPR,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Fans in the arena have been fairly subdued, but an in-house DJ has made a steady stream of dance hits the day’s soundtrack.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Yeah, go to a backyard, sit on the edge of your bed.—
Outside Online,
Outside Online,
11 Feb. 2026
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Standouts from Frisco Panther Creek, Flower Mound Marcus and Denton sit on top of the leaderboards.—
SportsDay Staff,
Dallas Morning News,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Pannakara's peace talks, given at stops along the way, have urged listeners to put down their phones and find peace within themselves.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Pannakara’s peace talks, given at stops along the way, have urged listeners to put down their phones and find peace within themselves.—
Deepa Bharath,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Slap down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slap%20down. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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