slapstick
noun
slap·stick
| \ ˈslap-ˌstik
\
\
Definition of slapstick
1
: 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
2
: comedy stressing farce and horseplay
also
: activity resembling slapstick
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Other Words from slapstick
slapstick
adjective
slapsticky
\ ˈslap-ˌsti-kē
\
adjective
\
adjective
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
The book, written by Iconis and his frequent collaborators Lance Rubin and Jason Sweettooth Williams, features more broad slapstick than genuine wit. — Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Broadway Bounty Hunter': Theater Review," 24 July 2019 Punch, freed, grabs up a slapstick and wallops him with it. — Robert Coover, The New Yorker, "Citizen Punch," 18 July 2019 Little threatened to veer out of conventional control, and almost no raucous slapstick jousted alongside the bantering language. — Edward Rothstein, WSJ, "‘Twelfth Night’ Review: A Bland Transposition," 11 July 2019 This comedy tells the story of a spy sent from mainland China to Hong Kong on a mission, and is a classic of a local style of slapstick comedy known as mo lei tau. — Isabella Steger, Quartzy, "Six films to watch to understand what’s happening in Hong Kong," 24 July 2019 The league’s hard-hitting, cinematic matches stand in stark contrast to the more soapy and slapstick television product that the premier U.S. wrestling group, World Wrestling Entertainment, puts out. — Adam Abdalla, Dallas News, "New Japan Pro-Wrestling makes its live Dallas debut tonight — and you can thank Mark Cuban for it," 6 July 2019 For him, this is all much deeper than slapstick comedy. — Nate Hochman, National Review, "Sacha Baron Cohen’s Tired Elitist Shtick," 25 June 2019 Luigi’s Mansion 3 is pure slapstick, and there just aren’t enough games like that. — Andrew Webster, The Verge, "Even without Animal Crossing, Nintendo has an incredible holiday lineup," 12 June 2019 Woody’s signature rag doll slapstick comedy is in full swing, from the cowboy flailing atop an angry cat running in circles, to getting his face stepped on by Bonnie’s dad, to flinging his limbs every which way to keep Forky in check. — Kelsea Stahler, refinery29.com, "Toy Story 4 Isn't Perfect, But It Will Fork Its Way Right Into Your Heart," 15 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'slapstick.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for slapstick
slapstick
noun
English Language Learners Definition of slapstick
: comedy that involves physical action (such as falling down or hitting people)
See the full definition for slapstick in the English Language Learners Dictionary
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