slap down

verb

slapped down; slapping down; slaps down

transitive verb

1

: to prohibit or restrain usually abruptly and with censure from acting in a specified way : squelch

2

: to put an abrupt stop to : suppress

Synonyms

• clamp down (on)
• crack down (on)
• crush
• put down
• quash
• quell
• repress
• silence
• snuff (out)
• squash
• squelch
• subdue
• suppress

Examples of slap down in a Sentence

public protests against the dictatorial government were always promptly slapped down

Recent Examples on the Web

And that suggests his Justice Department will be less excited about slapping down the border initiatives championed by Abbott since the day Biden sent the former president packing. —John C. Moritz, Austin American-Statesman, 11 Aug. 2024

Here's a list of vaccine myths and facts that slaps down the persistent lies floating around social media and conspiracy websites. —Matt Jancer, WIRED, 26 Jan. 2022

It’s been 10 years since film producer Cash Warren and his longtime buddies Alan Stuart and David Ehrenberg reached into their wallets and slapped down $1,500 each to start a sock company. —Jean E. Palmieri, WWD, 15 July 2024

This is a court so conservative that it has been repeatedly slapped down by the Supreme Court, including in three out of 10 appeals from its rulings this term. —Ruth Marcus, Washington Post, 3 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined at sense 1