slapstick

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noun

A style of humor focusing on physical comedy, such as slipping on a banana peel, and with foolish characters who get into humiliating situations.

Similar
physical comedyhumoroushumourous
OriginItalian batacchio →
Less commonScrabble 17
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Meanings

nounslapstick (countable and uncountable, plural slapsticks)

plural slapsticks · alternative slap-stick

  1. uncountablecomedyA style of humor focusing on physical comedy, such as slipping on a banana peel, and with foolish characters who get into humiliating situations.
  2. countableA pair of sticks attached at one end and used to create a slapping sound effect, used especially in slapstick comedy; a type of clapper.

Synonyms & antonyms

Similar
physical comedy

adjectivecharacterized by horseplay and physical action

Similar
humoroushumourous

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Italianbatacchio
  2. Englishslapstick

From slap + stick, calque of Italian batacchio. The pair of sticks was used by the comic character Harlequin in the commedia dell'arte.

More words from Italian

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian клоунада, фарс
  • клоунада (klounada)physical comedy
  • фарс (fars)physical comedy
Catalan fuet
  • fuetpair of sticks
Czech groteska, bláznivá komedie
  • groteskaphysical comedy
  • bláznivá komediephysical comedy
Danish falde på halen-komik
  • falde på halen-komikphysical comedy
Finnish slapstick
  • slapstickphysical comedy
French pantalonnade
  • pantalonnadephysical comedy
German Slapstick
  • Slapstickphysical comedy
Hebrew סְלֶפְּסְטִיק
  • סְלֶפְּסְטִיק (slepstik)physical comedy
Japanese スラップスティック
  • スラップスティック (surappusutikku)physical comedy
Korean 슬랩스틱, 몸개그
  • 슬랩스틱 (seullaepseutik)physical comedy
  • 몸개그 (momgaegeu)physical comedy
Latin motoria
  • motoriaphysical comedy
Polish slapstick, para pałeczek
  • slapstickphysical comedy
  • para pałeczekpair of sticks
Portuguese pastelão
  • pastelãophysical comedy
Russian буффона́да, слэ́пстик
  • буффона́да (buffonáda)physical comedy
  • слэ́пстик (slɛ́pstik)physical comedy
  • колоту́шка (kolotúška)pair of sticks
  • хлопу́шка (xlopúška)pair of sticks
Cite this entry
APA

slapstick. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/slapstick

MLA

“slapstick.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/slapstick. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “slapstick,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/slapstick.

Source: slapstick on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.