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
Jeaneen Russell, PEOPLE, 20 May 2026
The Fever guard swatted a shot from Seattle’s Mackenzie Holmes, then immediately let everyone in the building know about it.
—Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 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
Warm summer nights are made for backyard dinners and poolside hangs — not swatting flies away from your burger every five seconds.
—Jeaneen Russell, PEOPLE, 20 May 2026
The Fever guard swatted a shot from Seattle’s Mackenzie Holmes, then immediately let everyone in the building know about it.
—Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for swat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swat
Noun
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As Saints retorted, Williams hit him with a backhand slap.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
30 May 2026
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Here, The Athletic reviews Everton’s season just gone — their first at Hill Dickinson Stadium and one of highs, lows, slaps and… toasters.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
27 May 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
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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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To pay for her medical bills, the family had to sell most of their remaining cattle and goats, a bitter blow after years of drought had already decimated local herds.—
Tommy Trenchard,
NPR,
31 May 2026
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This makes for a significant setback but not necessarily a fatal blow to the facility.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
31 May 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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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
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Joe threw Ospreay into the barricade to the sound of a sickening thud.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
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 7 Jun. 2026.
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