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Definition of "slapstick" [slapstick]

  • A boisterous form of comedy marked by chases, collisions, and crude practical jokes. (noun)
  • A paddle designed to produce a loud whacking sound, formerly used by performers in farces. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "slapstick" in a sentence
  • "We are playing improv games and working in slapstick — big picture issues."
  • "Sophisticated slapstick is difficult to achieve, and this is one of the finest success stories I can conjure."
  • "I suppose the modrn version of slapstick is "Funny" Home Videos, and I guess there's an element of this here (ooh! what's going to happen next?!) but, being an illustration, without the moral quandary of filming your four year old setting himself on fire with the intention of sending the tape off to Carlton Television."