flyswatter

noun

fly·​swat·​ter ˈflī-ˌswä-tər How to pronounce flyswatter (audio)
: a device for killing insects that consists of a flat piece of perforated rubber or plastic or fine-mesh wire netting attached to a handle

Examples of flyswatter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
In one, a red apparition seems ready to smash people with a flyswatter. Ian Johnson, The New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2024 Or just smash them with a flyswatter and clean up with a tissue. Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 12 Aug. 2024 Drop that flyswatter right now! Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 3 Feb. 2023 ChatGPT, on the other hand, will converse about the concept of falsehoods in the Quran, write a prayer for a rabbi to deliver to Congress and compare God to a flyswatter. Will Oremus, Washington Post, 27 Jan. 2023 This yellow flyswatter was decorated by hand with black puff paint. courier-journal.com, 2 June 2021 On the site, a graphic appeared, showing an insect with a female face—a logo for DarkMarket—underneath a flyswatter. Ed Caesar, The New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2021 People made jokes about Jeff Goldblum; other folks dug up images of Biden holding a flyswatter. Angela Watercutter, Wired, 7 Oct. 2020 This kit is great for kids who have a more visual style of learning; the modules are large and colorful, and the models (everything from a flyswatter to an ambulance) really make the lessons tangible. USA TODAY, 27 Mar. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1917, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of flyswatter was in 1917

Dictionary Entries Near flyswatter

Cite this Entry

“Flyswatter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flyswatter. Accessed 10 Nov. 2024.

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