Word
slapping
Phoneticsslap·ping
US/ˈsɫæpɪŋ/
UK/slˈæpɪŋ/
Definitions
01hitting with a flat hand
v. hitting something or someone with the flat part of your hand.
v. the act of striking with the palm of the hand or a flat object; often used as a gerund to describe the physical action.
“The sound of waves slapping against the side of the boat kept me awake.”
“The rhythmic slapping of the waves against the wooden hull provided a steady, hypnotic backdrop to the evening's conversation.”
02the act of hitting
n. the action of hitting someone with an open hand.
n. a physical strike delivered with the palm; can also refer to a metaphorical punishment or 'slap on the wrist'.
“He deserved a slapping for being so rude to the waiter.”
“The coach gave the player a verbal slapping after the team's third consecutive loss due to poor discipline.”
British English · Informal
Usage
Often used with 'give someone a...'
Teaching tip
In British English, 'a slapping' can imply a physical beating or a very harsh scolding.
03excellent or impressive
adj. used to describe something that is very good, especially food that tastes great or music with a strong beat.
adj. a slang term used to denote high quality, particularly in the context of flavourful food or music with impactful production.
“This burger is absolutely slapping; we have to come back here.”
“The bassline on this track is slapping, making it an instant favourite for the club scene this summer.”
Slang · Informal
Usage
Usually follows the verb 'to be'.
Teaching tip
This is very modern slang. While it originally referred to music (the 'slap' of the bass), it is now most commonly used by younger speakers to describe delicious food.
04very large
adj. unusually large or impressive in size.
adj. denoting a significant or impressive size; often used for emphasis in informal descriptions.
“They served us a slapping great portion of chips with our meal.”
“He managed to secure a slapping great discount on the car by negotiating for over an hour.”
British English · Informal
Usage
Often used before another adjective like 'great' or 'big'.
Teaching tip
This is a somewhat dated British colloquialism, often replaced by 'whopping' in modern speech.
Antonyms
Real-World Examples
“Slapping your logo on your home side’s shirt was a charitable endeavour, rather than an investment.” “Last year, it performed extensive ground testing of an Nvidia H100 GPU before slapping one onto a small satellite bus and launching it into space.” Scan code
englishreference.com/q/slapping