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
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
Between pushes, the nurse slips the soaked green sheet out from under me, slaps down a clean one.
—Erica Stern
june 9, Literary Hub, 9 June 2025
Managing to directly stay out the Lively-Baldoni fray (though not the tabloids’ speculations of the state of Lively-Swift friendship) until recently, the controversy adverse Swift was quick to slap down the subpoena Baldoni’s team served on her at the beginning of this month.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 14 May 2025
An appeals court on Thursday slapped down the administration’s attempt to get out of providing more information about its efforts to bring back Abrego Garcia.
—Patrick Reis, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
See All Example Sentences for slap down
Nina Totenberg, NPR, 27 June 2025
Between pushes, the nurse slips the soaked green sheet out from under me, slaps down a clean one.
—Erica Stern
june 9, Literary Hub, 9 June 2025
Managing to directly stay out the Lively-Baldoni fray (though not the tabloids’ speculations of the state of Lively-Swift friendship) until recently, the controversy adverse Swift was quick to slap down the subpoena Baldoni’s team served on her at the beginning of this month.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 14 May 2025
An appeals court on Thursday slapped down the administration’s attempt to get out of providing more information about its efforts to bring back Abrego Garcia.
—Patrick Reis, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
See All Example Sentences for slap down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slap down
Verb
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Five people died and 140 police officers were injured before the insurrection was quelled.—
Chris Boyette,
CNN Money,
14 Sep. 2025
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In its way, this was a high occasion of state, an opportunity for the government to make a display of its brisk, sober ability to act, and to quell the unrest that this horrific and very public murder had aroused.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The upconversion process also suppressed noise, which made the setup effective even under very dim light.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Sep. 2025
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Critics of the visas, including many American technology workers, argue companies use H-1B visa workers to suppress wages and pass over Americans for jobs.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Faultlessly subdued bespoke tailoring, and his grosgrain lapel broadcasts a certain seniority.—
Guy Martin,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
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By contrast, growth in Unilever’s Prestige beauty division was flat as the market remained subdued.—
Samantha Conti,
Footwear News,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov told Russian media on Saturday that Kim will sit on Xi's left side during Wednesday's parade, with Putin in the place of honor on the right.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Sep. 2025
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Tabletop This style is small enough to sit on your dining table, a dresser or other prominent display area in your home.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Nationalists of various political stripes organized the Korean Provisional Government—Korea’s government in exile— in Shanghai, after Japanese authorities had violently put down the protests.—
Kornel Chang
September 19,
Literary Hub,
19 Sep. 2025
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There’s hard, mundane work outside of putting down the bottle and putting down the pipe.—
Joe Lynch,
Billboard,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Slap down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slap%20down. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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