What does slapping mean?
Slapping means striking with an open hand, often sharply enough to make a sound. The action can be physically forceful, as in striking a person, or relatively casual, as in tapping or patting a surface with the flat of the hand. It may also describe a repeated sound produced by impacts, such as wind slapping against a window or waves striking a boat’s hull. In figurative use, “slapping” something or someone down can mean putting them or it into place abruptly and without care. The word is common in both British and American English and has a broad range of uses, ranging from literal physical actions to descriptions of loud or persistent noises. Its related forms include the basic verb “slap,” the past tense “slapped,” and the third-person singular “slaps.”
verbHitting someone or something with an open hand, often making a sharp sound. It can also mean putting something or someone down forcefully.
- Striking a person or surface with an open hand.
- Putting down or applying something forcefully.
- Making or accompanying an action with sharp, repeated open-handed blows.
"She slapped the table in frustration."
"The driver was slapping the dashboard as the car rocked."
"She heard the rain slapping against the window."
Slap belongs to a family of imitative words: its sound echoes the sharp, flat noise it describes.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does slapping come from?
The word comes from Middle English “slappen,” which was in use by the late medieval period. Its origin is generally understood to be imitative, reflecting the sharp sound made by an open hand striking a surface. The longer form “slapdash,” now an adjective and adverb, was developed from the same verbal root.
Related word forms
How slapping is actually used
The -ing form can describe an ongoing action, as in “slapping the table,” or the sound produced by an impact, as in “the slapping of waves against the hull.”
Easily confused with slapping
Slapping involves striking a surface or person with an open hand, whereas clapping generally means bringing the hands together, often repeatedly, to make a sound.