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
Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 11 June 2025
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
Jim Keyser, Idaho Statesman, 12 Oct. 2025
The Wild finally offered some push-back on the scoreboard on a second period power play, when Kirill Kaprizov’s shot was knocked down by the Columbus goalie’s shoulder save, but Boldy swatted in the loose puck, bringing the crowd back to life.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 12 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for swat
Noun
This despite the fact that Brian was almost completely deaf in his right ear, allegedly the result of a swat by his abusive father.
—Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 11 June 2025
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
Verb
What those 15,000 or so fair-weather fans missed was the Broncos (4-2, 2-0) asserting themselves in the fourth quarter to pull away for a 41-25 Mountain West win over the Lobos (3-3, 0-2), who for much of the night were like a gnat the home team couldn’t swat away.
—Jim Keyser, Idaho Statesman, 12 Oct. 2025
The Wild finally offered some push-back on the scoreboard on a second period power play, when Kirill Kaprizov’s shot was knocked down by the Columbus goalie’s shoulder save, but Boldy swatted in the loose puck, bringing the crowd back to life.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 12 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for swat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swat
Noun
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Greenstein and Goldberg tried — and failed — to dissuade their boss from giving Will Smith and his company Westbrook an overall deal with the studio, arguing that the Oscar-slap controversy and a dodgy box office track record would result in more headaches than hits.—
Tatiana Siegel,
Variety,
4 Nov. 2025
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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
Verb
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But, every once in a while, I’ll get smacked in the face by one.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
6 Nov. 2025
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An arrest warrant has been issued for a high school football player accused of intentionally smacking one of his opponents on the head at their game, according to investigators in North Florida.—
Mark Price,
Miami Herald,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The windshield repels the huddled form and the thump on the pavement sounds like a rebuke.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
-
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
Verb
-
Marshall tossed an overhead pass to Flagg, who slammed in a dunk.—
Christian Clark,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
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Donald Trump‘s administration has once again been slammed by an artist for using their music without permission, this time receiving a comment from an unhappy Olivia Rodrigo after the White House and Department of Homeland Security shared a video set to one of her songs.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Green Bay's offense was dealt a massive blow last week when star tight end Tucker Kraft went down with a torn ACL against the Panthers.—
Reice Shipley,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Nov. 2025
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The groundbreaking research penetrated the last moments of the young nobleman, who suffered a terrible 26 blows.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Police geared up and stormed the compound, using a hoe to knock the padlock off a door inside.—
Mick Krever,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
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The right words can open doors the heart’s been knocking on for a while.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The show, which debuted on Tuesday on Hulu, landed with a thud and garnered a jaw-dropping zero percent on Rotten Tomatoes from its initial spate of reviews, which included scathing takedowns from the Guardian, the Hollywood Reporter and the UK’s The Times.—
Mathew Rodriguez,
Them.,
5 Nov. 2025
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That will include the X-59’s first supersonic flight, in which the aircraft will achieve the optimal speed and altitude for a boom—or thud, in this case.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Cavaliers appeared to be in good position to escape with the win in regulation after forward Evan Mobley hit an above-the-break three-pointer off an assist from forward De’Andre Hunter to give Cleveland a two-point advantage.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
11 Nov. 2025
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Prosecutors said Chastain then used the flashlight to hit Raleigh in the head and mouth before leaving the area.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
11 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Swat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swat. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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