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
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
Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 29 May 2026
Officers quickly determined the call was likely a swatting attempt after meeting with security personnel already stationed at the property and finding no evidence of gunfire.
—Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 28 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
Golden State swatted 11 shots Thursday, a league-wide single-game high for the season.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 29 May 2026
Officers quickly determined the call was likely a swatting attempt after meeting with security personnel already stationed at the property and finding no evidence of gunfire.
—Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 28 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for swat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swat
Noun
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Burke, a Dodgers teammate, had provided the setup for the pioneering hand slap, a spontaneous response to a homer that Baker hit in 1977.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
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Will Smith won his only Best Actor Oscar in the title role, leading to his infamous onstage slap of Chris Rock during the 2022 ceremony.—
Erik Pedersen,
Deadline,
1 June 2026
Verb
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The shot smacked off the front of the rim.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
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Ben Williamson then smacked a ball to the right side that went off the glove of first baseman Spencer Torkelson, allowing Mullins and Fortes to score.—
Marc Topkin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 June 2026
Noun
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Soon after, hearing the thump of ball on metal gate, Badri stepped outside to check if his message had been heeded.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
-
Agents yelled from every direction, and the thumps of a news helicopter overhead were deafening.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
Verb
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Williams belted a walk-off moonshot for a 5-4 win, and Canady slammed the door shut for a 2-0 clincher.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
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The teenager received a standing ovation before Cowell slammed his Golden Buzzer.—
Deirdre Durkan,
PEOPLE,
3 June 2026
Noun
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Shutting down Logan would be another blow to the Lincoln area after the closures of Lincoln College and Lincoln Christian University, and other businesses and facilities over the years.—
Jeremy Gorner,
Chicago Tribune,
6 June 2026
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Earlier in the day, the Marlins were dealt another blow to their rotation when it was announced that top prospect Thomas White is expected to miss the remainder of the season after suffering a left shoulder capsular sprain last month.—
Tyler Carmona,
Miami Herald,
6 June 2026
Verb
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Within Kyiv, five medical facilities and several residential and commercial blocks were damaged or destroyed, sparking fires, burning cars and knocking debris onto a kindergarten, authorities reported.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
2 June 2026
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Even 6 inches of swiftly moving water can forcefully knock you off your feet.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 June 2026
Noun
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The shocking sight and loud thud of Williams' body took everyone by surprise.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
PEOPLE,
2 June 2026
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Come summer, the house settles into a familiar rhythm—one marked by shade, conversation, and the soft thud of falling fruit.—
Vaishnavi Nayel Talawadekar,
Architectural Digest,
24 May 2026
Verb
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The Rockies’ Kyle Karros hit an opposite-field line drive that carried to the right-field warning track, but Lee tracked down the potential extra-base hit on the run, then crashed into the chain-link portion of the fence.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
30 May 2026
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The hitting coaches have been really emphasizing it.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swat. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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