as in slap
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
the impatient toddler got a swat on his wrist for stepping into the street by himself
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in to smack
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
didn't sleep a wink all night because she was too busy swatting mosquitoes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of swat
Matt Byrne, Arkansas Online, 28 Jan. 2026
The sky-high swat by Bidunga — with his dominant left hand — was the 6-foot-9, 220-pounder’s third rejection of the game (to go with 10 rebounds) and his final highlight-reel play.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 16 Nov. 2025
Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 5 May 2026
The Canadiens would go nearly 30 minutes without a shot on net, but then got another unusual score when Lane Hutson’s shot rebounded off the back wall, hung momentarily in the air, and then was swatted expertly by Alex Newhook off Andrei Vasilevskiy’s leg.
—John Romano, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for swat
Noun
The swat helped Arkansas survive for an 83-79 win at Oklahoma on Tuesday night.
—Matt Byrne, Arkansas Online, 28 Jan. 2026
The sky-high swat by Bidunga — with his dominant left hand — was the 6-foot-9, 220-pounder’s third rejection of the game (to go with 10 rebounds) and his final highlight-reel play.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 16 Nov. 2025
Verb
Pick a style that'll keep you from having to swat away stray strands during your vows.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 5 May 2026
The Canadiens would go nearly 30 minutes without a shot on net, but then got another unusual score when Lane Hutson’s shot rebounded off the back wall, hung momentarily in the air, and then was swatted expertly by Alex Newhook off Andrei Vasilevskiy’s leg.
—John Romano, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for swat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swat
Noun
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Trading Mantha, for instance, would have been a slap in their faces.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
16 May 2026
-
The Need For Improvement At 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, Cox is too solidly built to be a slap-and-run singles hitter.—
Chuck Murr,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Andre Owens smacked three of Santa Margarita’s eight home runs in the game.—
Steve Fryer,
Oc Register,
18 May 2026
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While Irwin is getting smacked around, two mobsters terrorize the boys in the car before kicking them out and driving off in it.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
The Yankees need Wells to provide at least some thump in a bottom third of the order that hasn’t been very good.—
Brendan Kuty,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Moments later, a bass thump sounded in the distance.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Household items, including an air-conditioner, shot outward, slamming into the building across the narrow street.—
Rania Abouzeid,
New Yorker,
21 May 2026
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Steyer, a former hedge fund manager and longtime Democratic donor, has also slammed Becerra’s campaign for accepting a maximum $39,200 contribution from Chevron.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
20 May 2026
Noun
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For a club already facing relegation on the pitch, their own fans may have just dealt them the final, crushing blow.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2026
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The decision by the Senate's parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, deals a blow to Trump and his administration, which has sought the money for security purposes related to the ballroom.—
Nolan D. McCaskill,
USA Today,
17 May 2026
Verb
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Even 6 inches of moving water can pose a serious risk of knocking you off your feet.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
19 May 2026
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One morning, a cop knocked on my door with a summons.—
Abraham Jiménez Enoa,
The Dial,
19 May 2026
Noun
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Canet has to do some gymnastics to sell several of his conceits, and a few reveals land with the thud of too-easy convenience.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
15 May 2026
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The last-place Mets opened their nine-game road trip 5-2 and closed it with a thud.—
CBS New York Team,
CBS News,
10 May 2026
Verb
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Andy Pages hit a three-run home run and Max Muncy hit his 12th homer of the season on the next at-bat to break a scoreless game in the fourth inning.—
Liana Handler,
Los Angeles Times,
16 May 2026
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For cocktails and nightlife, hit TopGolf or Nola’s for live music then end the night strong with a table at HQ nightclub where resident and guest DJs keep the dance floor bumping and bottle servers keep the bubbly and energy flowing.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swat. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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