slapstick

noun

slap·stick ˈslap-ˌstik

: a device made of two flat pieces of wood fastened at one end so as to make a loud noise when used by an actor to strike a person

: comedy stressing farce and horseplay

also : activity resembling slapstick

slapstick adjective

slapsticky

ˈslap-ˌsti-kē

adjective

Did you know?

The idea that knocking people about made for good comedy dates as far back as the Greco-Roman theater, where clowns rambunctiously "attacked" one another onstage. The object from which the word slapstick derives, however, was invented in Italy in the 16th century. Renaissance comedy typically featured stock characters placed in ridiculous situations, and one such ubiquitous character was Harlequin, whose brilliant costuming made him easily recognizable. Harlequin was given to wielding a paddle which was designed to make a terrible noise when he hit someone, usually to the delight of the audience. This paddle was eventually known in English as a "slapstick," and it became a symbol of that type of highly physical comedy. The word slapstick then came to refer to the comedy itself.

Examples of slapstick in a Sentence

an actor whose roles range from slapstick to serious drama a lowbrow comedy that relies heavily on slapstick for its laughs

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.

Vengeance Most Fowl maintains the slapstick humor that made the duo beloved, while also offering some prescient commentary on suburban surveillance, the news media and the drawback of artificial intelligence. —

Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Dec. 2024 To boot, all the Looney Tunes characters adhere to their classic slapstick humor while providing enough modern updates to make A New Legacy feel like more than your run-of-the-mill reboot. —

Travis Bean, Forbes, 23 Nov. 2024 Among her features were biopics, comedies both dark and slapstick, eccentric dramedies, and mob movies. —

Ilana Kaplan, Vogue, 28 Oct. 2024 The technicolor production alone makes Babes in Toyland a treasure to behold, but its oddball slapstick comedy pushes it to a different, weirder level than other versions. —

Sezín Devi Koehler, EW.com, 6 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for slapstick