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
Council plans Hammersmith and Fulham, the local council where the trial is happening, has previously slapped down bike sharing companies for cluttering up streets, but Lime and Human Forest both operate there now.
—
Nicole Kobie, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
Whether or not that played into the Board of Medicine’s actions, the body slapped down the Settlement Agreement and offered a Counter Settlement Agreement, which Simmons accepted.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 15 Jan. 2025
Biden didn’t respond to those demands directly, leaving it to Schumer and Jeffries to slap down Trump’s debt-limit demand.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 24 Dec. 2024
Recent examples of people acting out of this same humble presumption—and being slapped down for it—are abundant.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 13 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for slap down
Nicole Kobie, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
Whether or not that played into the Board of Medicine’s actions, the body slapped down the Settlement Agreement and offered a Counter Settlement Agreement, which Simmons accepted.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 15 Jan. 2025
Biden didn’t respond to those demands directly, leaving it to Schumer and Jeffries to slap down Trump’s debt-limit demand.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 24 Dec. 2024
Recent examples of people acting out of this same humble presumption—and being slapped down for it—are abundant.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 13 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for slap down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slap down
Verb
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To further soothe and calm the eye area, ginger and Centella Asiatica (known as cica) help quell inflammation.—
Deanna Pai,
Vogue,
6 Mar. 2025
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Hearing that others experienced the same symptom for a period helped quell her frenzy.—
Erin Jensen,
USA TODAY,
6 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The answer is clear: Our city council clings to an outdated system that suppresses voter engagement.—
DP Opinion,
The Denver Post,
4 Mar. 2025
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From algorithmic bias that suppresses Black creators to the unchecked harassment that drives them offline, the need for digital hubs designed with Black users in mind has never been more urgent.—
Jasmine Browley,
Essence,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Canada’s democracy has frayed and strained in the years since, but always held—Quebec’s independence movement was subdued by real concessions from the rest of the provinces, for instance.—
Bill McKibben,
The New Yorker,
7 Mar. 2025
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He was subdued after an officer fired a beanbag round, striking Hermanson and allowing police to arrest him.—
Clifford Ward,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
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In Syria, then-President Bashar al-Assad put down a civil uprising with the help of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
12 Mar. 2025
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Syria has seen the worst outbreak of violence since the ousting of former President Bashar al-Assad late last year, after armed men descended on Alawite heartlands on Thursday in what Syrian authorities said was an attempt to put down an insurgency by rebels still loyal to the former government.—
Tricia Escobedo,
CNN,
10 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Slap down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slap%20down. Accessed 18 Mar. 2025.
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