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
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
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
-
In this world, items are paid for by receiving slaps to the face.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
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
-
Squad' rep's felon husband smacks phone from reporter 3.—
,
FOXNews.com,
7 Jan. 2026
-
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
-
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
-
Dean Puckett, United Kingdom, 2025 A single mother and her child are put through a nightmarish ordeal when a politician knocks on their door.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Opportunity knocks, though, as Virginia Tech hits the road going for a sweep of archrival Virginia on Saturday.—
Jim Root,
New York Times,
6 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
-
Motherhood, grief, forgiveness, and love will take over the big screen when Reminders of Him hits theaters on March 13, 2026.—
Anna Halkidis,
Parents,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Cuba scored in the bottom half on Yoelkis Guibert’s run-scoring groundout off winner Cal Quantrill, who allowed an unearned run and two hits over five innings.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Tenacious defense and timely free-throw shooting from David and junior Cooper Ellwood sealed the title for Rock Canyon, as star big Kai Valentine tackled junior Jonah Medina after the buzzer and threw a few gleeful fake punches at his chest.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
15 Mar. 2026
-
The retro thing isn’t for everyone, but The Violet Mindfield certainly didn’t pull its punches.—
Ramon Ramirez,
Austin American Statesman,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
When this valve slams shut, the entire network suffers a mechanical heart attack.—
Siddharth Misra,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
-
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 17 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
