swats 1 of 2

noun

Definition of swatsnext
plural of swat
as in slaps
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

Relevance

swats

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of swat
as in smacks
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 show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of swats
Noun
The Wolverines had only three swats against Arizona, but that was a 91-73 win in a game that was supposed to be the best of the tournament but turned into something else. — CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
Verb
What’s next, a robotic baseball player named Babe that swats 500-foot home runs and throws 120 mph pitches, eclipsing Shohei Ohtani’s real-life achievements and commanding a billion dollar contract? — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026 And when Melbourne still attempts to challenge the two-time Defensive Player of the Year, Wilson swats it away with ease. — Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025 Thumps sound, and his arm disappears as someone swats it down. — Sahana Jayaraman, AZCentral.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swats
  1. slaps
  2. smacks
  3. swipes
  4. knocks
  5. thumps
  6. hits
  7. punches
  8. slams
Noun
  • These 16 slaps are lucid and adventurous, featuring random Jay Electronica warblings, DJ Quik rhythms, and a couple of surprisingly appropriate Westside Gunn vignettes.
    — Will Dukes, Rolling Stone, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The Mother was the destination, but the slaps, pineapple, goat, and countless detours made the journey worthwhile.
    — Erin Strecker, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of slaps
Verb
  • And there’s rarely time to digest one controversy before the next one comes barreling down the road and smacks us in the mouth.
    — Bernard Goldberg, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2026
  • In a fight with yet more mercenaries, Reacher smacks a gun out of a guy’s hand using one of Philadelphia’s moving subway trains.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of smacks
Noun
  • The color-changing formula swipes on clear, then adapts to your skin’s pH to reveal a personalized pink hue.
    — Madison San Miguel, Allure, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Behind the metallic Ray-Ban logo on the right temple is a touch surface for taps and swipes to accept calls and control audio playback.
    — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of swipes
Verb
  • Anxiety knocks people off autopilot, sharpens attention and sends them looking for new information.
    — Monique Mitchell Turner, The Conversation, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The Newmark report also knocks the draft deal for saddling Miami-Dade with too many risks of cost overruns and other risks that a private company would typically shoulder in a venture like this one.
    — Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of knocks
Noun
  • The lower-vocal harmony struggles to stand out any time the deeper bass thumps.
    — Mark Knapp, PC Magazine, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Agents yelled from every direction, and the thumps of a news helicopter overhead were deafening.
    — Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 28 May 2026
Definition of thumps
Verb
  • Emmanwori is tied for fourth on the defense with 27 tackles, despite missing the season opener, and has two sacks, seven quarterback hits and one pass breakup.
    — Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Senators elected this November will be in office in 2032, when the retirement trust fund depletion date hits.
    — Lorie Konish, CNBC, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of hits
Noun
  • Once upon a time, Georgia-Florida was an annual heavyweight fight, two proud programs trading punches and championships while their fans traded insults and cocktails in Jacksonville.
    — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Oct. 2026
  • Michael rolls with his partner’s punches, seeing it as ordinary courtroom tussling.
    — Noel Murray, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of punches
Verb
  • One recent ad featuring an Epstein survivor, and targeted at Kansas Republican Roger Marshall, slams the incumbent senator’s September 2025 vote to block a procedural measure that would have released the Epstein files.
    — Caitlin Dewey, Vox, 28 Oct. 2026
  • There’s seat-shaking violence in how the whale breaches the surface and slams its weight back down (the crafty sound design is by James Miller) and body horror in its claustrophobic, spongy inner chambers.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of slams

Browse Nearby Words

swaths
swats
swatted
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Swats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swats. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All