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
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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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
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Butner got a wrist slap sentence of three months, and will probably be out any day now.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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However, Daulton Varsho, who has been another clutch Blue Jays hitter throughout the postseason, smacked a single to center to score Springer to knot the game at one apiece.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
21 Oct. 2025
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The two had a peculiar conversation where Hawkins said Clifton missed smacking her rear end.—
Craig Shoup,
Nashville Tennessean,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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There is a 480cc bass chamber however, for more satisfying low end thump indoors or out.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
18 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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Zyairr Davis, then 13, was one of three teens arrested in the attack, but not the one who delivered the fatal blow.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
27 Oct. 2025
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Combs has seen a series of blows to his legal case in the past several weeks.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Owens — who was not armed — went to Lorincz’s home, knocked on the door multiple times and demanded that Lorincz come outside to settle the dispute.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
23 Oct. 2025
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The man tried to escape, but the group followed him, knocked him to the ground and continued attacking him before robbing him of his watch and shoes, prosecutors said.—
Jennifer Rodriguez,
Miami Herald,
23 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 30 Oct. 2025.
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