as in smacking
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
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Recent Examples of swatting
Police are investigating a swatting incident that targeted a school and Walmart in Hamden on Wednesday.
—
Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 11 June 2026
Staal lost his edge on his skate, but that didn’t stop him from swatting a back-handed shot of his own toward the net.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2026
Wembanyama reacted by swatting Brunson away, placing his hand near the back of Brunson’s neck and pushing him to the floor.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 10 June 2026
Team co-owner Heather Gibbs said watching the teammates race so hard was like kids on a family vacation swatting at each other in the backseat.
—ABC News, 31 May 2026
Everyone is swatting and waving bugs away.
—Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 30 May 2026
Officers quickly determined the call was likely a swatting attempt after meeting with security personnel already stationed at the property and finding no evidence of gunfire.
—Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 28 May 2026
Weather experts, emergency managers, and other officials do not need to waste time swatting down viral rumors and innuendo.
—Marshall Shepherd, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026
At Roland Garros three years ago, doubles player Miyu Kato and her partner Aldila Sutjiadi were defaulted after Kato accidentally hit a ball kid in the neck when returning a ball to her — not even swatting it in frustration — because the ball kid was in tears.
—James Hansen, New York Times, 21 May 2026
Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 11 June 2026
Staal lost his edge on his skate, but that didn’t stop him from swatting a back-handed shot of his own toward the net.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2026
Wembanyama reacted by swatting Brunson away, placing his hand near the back of Brunson’s neck and pushing him to the floor.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 10 June 2026
Team co-owner Heather Gibbs said watching the teammates race so hard was like kids on a family vacation swatting at each other in the backseat.
—ABC News, 31 May 2026
Everyone is swatting and waving bugs away.
—Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 30 May 2026
Officers quickly determined the call was likely a swatting attempt after meeting with security personnel already stationed at the property and finding no evidence of gunfire.
—Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 28 May 2026
Weather experts, emergency managers, and other officials do not need to waste time swatting down viral rumors and innuendo.
—Marshall Shepherd, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026
At Roland Garros three years ago, doubles player Miyu Kato and her partner Aldila Sutjiadi were defaulted after Kato accidentally hit a ball kid in the neck when returning a ball to her — not even swatting it in frustration — because the ball kid was in tears.
—James Hansen, New York Times, 21 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swatting
Verb
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Deputies responded to a report of a driver smacking his car into a guardrail in front of The Bridge Restaurant before driving away, according to a sheriff’s office news release.—
Joe Marusak,
Charlotte Observer,
6 June 2026
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As the match got away from her in the second set and the Court Philippe-Chatrier crowd became increasingly hostile, Andreeva fully unraveled, smacking another ball towards the roof and asking members of her box to leave.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Verb
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Pages followed with a single and Keller loaded the bases by hitting Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy with two outs.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
12 June 2026
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Tire tread depth - Checking your tire tread before hitting the road is important, as low or no tread can lead to sliding.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
12 June 2026
Verb
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In the run-up to the elections, Russia upped pressure on its ally by slapping import bans on Armenian products, including fresh fruit, flowers and spirits.—
Nathan Hodge,
CNN Money,
8 June 2026
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Home plate umpire Dan Iassogna called a third strike, but Madrigal argued with the umpire, emphatically slapping his head.—
Liana Handler,
Los Angeles Times,
7 June 2026
Verb
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The Massachusetts Republican Party is slamming both Markey and Healey for backing Platner.—
Tim Dunn,
Boston Herald,
10 June 2026
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Hugh Laurie has apologized to a writer after slamming her criticisms of House on social media.—
Kathleen Perricone,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 June 2026
Verb
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The complaint alleges Hickey was walking along a spectator pathway outside the arena fence when Party Bus suddenly jumped into the crowd and landed on top of her, knocking Hickey to the ground and crushing her right shoulder and right calf.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
11 June 2026
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After knocking England out of the 2018 World Cup, for example, Croatia’s players were keen to throw that line back in their face afterwards.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
Verb
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In extreme cases, like intentionally punching another player, a referee can go straight to a red card and eject a player from the match.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
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Former Broncos outside linebackers coach Michael Wilhoite is no longer facing misdemeanor charges for allegedly punching a Denver Police officer in 2024 at Denver International Airport, but the officer is still suing him over the incident.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
8 June 2026
Verb
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Cars pushed through the crowd, hitting at least one person as agitators continued banging, kicking and blocking government vehicles.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
6 June 2026
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The new transmission responded more quickly and reduced involuntary head banging in the car’s cabin.—
Will Sabel Courtney,
Robb Report,
28 May 2026
Verb
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Larry Hayes, 86, and Bill Moniz, 79, hit the tennis courts in Mountain View three to four times a week — whacking balls across the net as teammates for one to three hours a week.—
Panashe Matemba-Mutasa,
Mercury News,
27 May 2026
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And the crowd clearly expected that pucks whacking the nets would be at a premium in this series, too.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swatting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swatting. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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