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
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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
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Recent Examples of swats
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
See All Example Sentences for swats
Verb
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
See All Example Sentences for swats
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swats
Noun
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In this world, items are paid for by receiving slaps to the face.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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Europe has long underspent on defense, and where American cajoling for decades had not worked, a few face slaps succeeded.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Squad' rep's felon husband smacks phone from reporter 3.—
,
FOXNews.com,
7 Jan. 2026
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Just as this monster is about to take out the entire team on the Abyss, a giant boulder flies through the air and smacks him in the face.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
1 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
At a whopping 108 minutes, Trump on Tuesday swung wildly between trying to reassure voters their gamble on his return to power was worth it and targeting the Democrats in the room with a series of sneers, taunts, and swipes.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
25 Feb. 2026
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During two recent wintry swipes in North Georgia, drivers largely abided by the directive to keep off the roads.—
Doug Turnbull,
AJC.com,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
These are not knocks on Miami of Ohio.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
4 Mar. 2026
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Opportunity knocks when an aspiring video game designer (Myles Erlick) is given a time-stopping device by his friend (Sean Astin), the eccentric owner of a toy store.—
Travis Pinson,
Dallas Morning News,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In Guyana’s capital city of Georgetown, neighbors can still hear the thumps.—
Tyler Jett,
Des Moines Register,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Lightning hits the United States approximately 25 million times annually.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Mar. 2026
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Composer Hildur Guðnadóttir’s score hits the right notes in a tricky assignment that creates a feeling of punk without actually being that.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Brown responds by shoving the officer's hand down, and after the second shove, the officer throws two punches.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
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But amid the coronation for their crosstown rival, Gottlieb was looking for anything that told her this Trojans team could take some punches and also give some back in March.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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When this valve slams shut, the entire network suffers a mechanical heart attack.—
Siddharth Misra,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
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Researchers tested whether a hardy bacterium could endure the crushing pressures generated when a space rock slams into a planet and ejects debris into space.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swats. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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