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
Time and time again, courts have slapped down these strong-arm tactics that lack the force of law.
—
Bob Morgan, Chicago Tribune, 2 Jan. 2026
The production runs for 2026 and 2027 are sold out, but future flyers can jump in the queue for the 2028 build now by slapping down a deposit of US$8,000.
—New Atlas, 14 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for slap down
Bob Morgan, Chicago Tribune, 2 Jan. 2026
The production runs for 2026 and 2027 are sold out, but future flyers can jump in the queue for the 2028 build now by slapping down a deposit of US$8,000.
—New Atlas, 14 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for slap down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slap down
Verb
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Nor has the admission that there were performance problems done much to quell rampant speculation that the company is running short of computing resources and that Anthropic’s efforts to ration precious computing power were the real reason for the performance issues.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
24 Apr. 2026
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Over the past few months, the pending consolidation sparked many fears, which David Ellison tried to quell.—
Mandalit del Barco,
NPR,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Fungicides, for instance, are used to suppress disease-causing pathogens like blights and leaf spots, but might also impact beneficial microbes that live in flowers.—
Miri Talabac,
Baltimore Sun,
28 Apr. 2026
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Researchers from the University of Bristol in England and the University at Buffalo in New York found that people actively trying to suppress food cravings were more likely to spend time watching indulgent food content online — yet ended up eating less of it afterward.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Two sources described the evening to Variety as subdued.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
24 Apr. 2026
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Both would like to subdue Hezbollah and transform it into a relatively normal Lebanese political party.—
Hussein Ibish,
The Atlantic,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Several hotels sit on or near the Plaza, including The Fontaine, the InterContinental and multiple Marriott properties.—
Taylor Haught,
Kansas City Star,
29 Apr. 2026
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Reupping your Whipped Argan Oil Body Butter is more of a delight than a slog, and the refills are pretty enough to sit on the shelf at Sephora or be featured in an influencer’s product flatlay.—
Kara McGrath,
Allure,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Be Strong Families can help the professors put down the gauntlet and join the conversation.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
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On the other half, Lind had put down gravel and installed empty shipping containers and trailers suitable for potential tenants.—
Tessa Stuart,
Rolling Stone,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Slap down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slap%20down. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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