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
Relevance
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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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
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
11 June 2026
The ball seemed to be a winner, until Suarez, who was stationed in the goal post, swatted it with his hands.
—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
11 June 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
Police are investigating a swatting incident that targeted a school and Walmart in Hamden on Wednesday.
—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
11 June 2026
The ball seemed to be a winner, until Suarez, who was stationed in the goal post, swatted it with his hands.
—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for swat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swat
Noun
-
Deidre Hall delivered her most shocking slap yet on live TV on June 19.
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Only a few minutes earlier, Abulaila endured an inadvertent slap to his throat by Arnautovic on a pass into the box.
Verb
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Kara and Ruthye figure out the Brigands are trafficking young women for dastardly purposes, giving them yet another reason to smack some dudes around.
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Schwarber was able to work a walk, and then Derek Hill, another pinch hitter, came up and smacked a home run that gave Philadelphia the lead in a win over the Nationals.
Noun
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Not long after, Jamison’s parents reported hearing a loud thump, as though someone had fallen, according to prosecutors.
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While playing Pragmata, the thump of approaching robots had solid directionality, and the weapon blasts had a good amount of low-end force.
Verb
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Hakimi fired off the corner, followed by a header by Chadi Riad that was picked up by Rahimi, who slammed it into the upper right of the net.
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Goldman was slammed for refusing to decline support during this race from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, which has become a significant split in various Democratic primaries this year.
Noun
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Emotionally, militarily, even symbolically, this is a devastating blow to the Black Queen and her cause.
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When Lucerys refuses, Aemond chases Lucerys on his dragon, seemingly meaning to injure him rather than kill him, but his dragon, Vhagar, delivers a fatal blow to Rhaenyra’s son.
Verb
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Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani leads the NL in votes received, which would give him the automatic starting spot at DH should that lead hold into Thursday, knocking Schmitt out of contention.
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Even 6 inches of moving water can pose a serious risk of knocking you off your feet.
Noun
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Beyond that, though, the Americans cannot afford to start with a thud, not with so many untrained eyes finally paying attention.
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Non-sterling objects produce a dull thud.
Verb
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Lightning hits the United States approximately 25 million times annually.
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The Iraq goalkeeper didn't make a play on it, as the ball hit the post and bounced away.
Cite this Entry
“Swat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swat. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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