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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of swat
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 May 2025
Butler, 33, can be seen briefly blowing in the direction of the inquisitive bee, while Pascal, 50, swats at it.
—Jack Smart, People.com, 16 May 2025
Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Oct. 2025
On the earlier date, police were reportedly called to one of the houses after a swatting incident falsely reported a shooting and a dead female victim.
—Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for swat
Noun
In one early sequence, Grace, paying a visit to her mother-in-law (Sissy Spacek, luminous as ever), swats and swats at that fly but just cannot seem to kill it.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 May 2025
Butler, 33, can be seen briefly blowing in the direction of the inquisitive bee, while Pascal, 50, swats at it.
—Jack Smart, People.com, 16 May 2025
Verb
If those guys aren’t enough to inspire Preller and Seidler, here’s two ex-Padres first basemen who, like González and McGriff, could swat it and pick it.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Oct. 2025
On the earlier date, police were reportedly called to one of the houses after a swatting incident falsely reported a shooting and a dead female victim.
—Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for swat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swat
Noun
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That included two stellar stops in the waning seconds of the third with Carolina on the power play, rebuffing a slap shot and then blocking the rebound with his leg pad.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
24 Oct. 2025
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There are heated confrontations and a slap, and Alma ruins her shot at tenure after stealing a colleague's prescription pad to get more pain meds.—
Gerrad Hall,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Quietly handling the cornbread, with a buttery scent that smacks you right in the face, is her paternal grandmother.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
30 Oct. 2025
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As the scene unfolds, the gorilla suddenly lifts its arm and smacks the glass, causing a crack.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The result is that the sonic boom becomes a sonic thump of 60 dB to 80 dB, or about that of a car door closing for those on the ground.—
David Szondy
October 28,
New Atlas,
28 Oct. 2025
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The Skullcandy Crusher Evo headphones are all about feeling every thump, and beat.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Once the truck begins driving straight, the beige SUV speeds up and slams into the truck’s back-left side.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
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Back in 1961, residents of Capitola woke up to find that hordes of black seabirds were slamming into cars, windows and people's homes and dying.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Weddings are expensive, after all, and delaying the big honeymoon trip can help ease the blow by spreading out the cost.—
Jim Augerinos,
Travel + Leisure,
31 Oct. 2025
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The Seacrest family has been dealt a devastating blow, Ryan Seacrest revealed on Friday morning.—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The contestants then had to compete in a physically taxing challenge that involved pushing a heavy cart along a bumpy path, stacking sand bags, climbing ladders, knocking discs off poles, and then finally knocking down four bamboo targets.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
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Kelly was fired Sunday, one day after a 49-25 loss to Texas A&M dropped the Tigers to 5-3 and all but knocked them out of the College Football Playoff race.—
Chris Vannini,
New York Times,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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After a promising start, the Carson Wentz era might have just ended with a thud.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
24 Oct. 2025
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The powerful primate makes contact with the glass wall with a heavy thud, which leaves the group near the wall gasping and yelping in fear.—
Escher Walcott,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The online education company, founded 20 years ago, has been hit by the rise of generative AI software tools, such as OpenAI's ChatGPT, which have become increasingly popular among students.—
Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
28 Oct. 2025
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October 28, 2025 Ohtani hit his second home run of the night in the seventh inning to tie the matchup at five against the Toronto Blue Jays.—
Valentina Martinez,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Swat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swat. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.
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