Slapstick is a style of comedy that relies on exaggerated physical actions, pratfalls, and harmless violence to make people laugh. The name comes from a theatrical prop: two wooden slats that clapped together loudly when actors pretended to hit each other, creating a sharp slap sound without anyone getting hurt.

Classic slapstick moments include someone slipping on a banana peel, getting bonked on the head with a soft object, or walking into a door. The Three Stooges perfected slapstick with their eye-pokes and head-bonks. Charlie Chaplin made audiences howl with laughter through elaborate physical mishaps in silent films. Modern cartoons like Tom and Jerry use slapstick when characters flatten, stretch, and bounce back from impossible situations.

What makes slapstick different from other comedy is that it doesn't rely on clever wordplay or jokes. Instead, it uses the body itself for humor. The comedy comes from timing, surprise, and the wonderful absurdity of watching someone experience minor disasters that would hurt in real life but somehow don't in the world of slapstick.

As an adjective, slapstick describes this kind of humor: a slapstick scene, a slapstick routine, or slapstick comedy. When your friend pretends to dramatically faint after hearing unexpected homework news, that theatrical tumble is slapstick in action.