swatting

present participle of swat

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 swatting Huntington Hospital also was the target of a swatting call in March 2025. Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2026 In May, Barrett’s security detail worked with police to quickly deal with the call determined to be swatting, or a fake 911 call designed to provoke a police response. ABC News, 14 July 2026 Kessler catches an empty side screen involving Anfernee Simons and calmly plays in drop, backpedals smoothly, slides laterally for a stride, opens his hips and tricks Simons to shoot before swatting it away with his left hand. Sam Vecenie, New York Times, 2 July 2026 The worry was that adding sixteen teams would mean blowouts, the big sides swatting away the small ones. Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026 Another customer said Roberts was also seen kicking and swatting chickens outside the store. Steven Yablonski, CBS News, 18 June 2026 Liam Owen, of Boise, who worked as an aircraft mechanic for Horizon Airlines, documented the date of the incident as May 28, when high winds swept through the Treasure Valley, fanning the flames of fires, swatting down trees and power lines, and causing tens of thousands to lose power. Idaho Statesman, 16 June 2026 Police are investigating a swatting incident that targeted a school and Walmart in Hamden on Wednesday. Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 11 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swatting
Verb
  • Carrington was ejected from the game in the first half after smacking Cunningham across the face during Cunningham's layup attempt.
    Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Catcher Daniel Susac followed up Wednesday’s two-home-run game by smacking a two-run shot, and the Giants bullpen didn’t break down while protecting a 4-1 victory.
    Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 31 July 2026
Verb
  • Duran started the year hitting third and now bats seventh or eighth, and his hold on everyday playing time might have been saved by Masataka Yoshida’s injury — at least until Roman Anthony’s return.
    Jayson Stark, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Digging for compliments Shares in mining giant BHP are trading higher in Australia, hitting a two-month high, after the company topped earnings expectations and unveiled plans to pay its highest dividend in four years.
    Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Lionel Messi was fined by MLS for lightly slapping Union attacker Quinn Sullivan.
    Matt Piper, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Universities are not just slapping corporate logos on uniforms and facilities but building entertainment districts that can be lucrative far beyond game days.
    ABC News, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The film also depicts Gorbachev as something of a drama queen during the meetings, slamming the table and raising his voice.
    Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The active tropics comes on the 22nd anniversary of Hurricane Charley slamming into Florida, the beginning of one of the worst hurricane years in the state’s history.
    Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • His co-worker, Donna DuBray, was part of the group and saw Carbullido fall off, briefly knocking him out.
    Michele Gile, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Pre-season has brought many long passing sequences from players, knocking the ball around in fluid passing triangles.
    Carl Anka, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Alaves' Ángel Pérez was reprimanded by coach Quique Sánchez Flores after being substituted and punching the bench several times.
    ABC News, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026
  • According to court documents, the phone contained videos of Ayres assaulting Dunn repeatedly, at one point punching her in the face.
    Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 15 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Where grass grows right up to a tree’s trunk, the lawnmower will inevitably follow, banging and chipping the bark or scalping bark off roots that are exposed above the soil.
    Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 9 Aug. 2026
  • In several municipalities, particularly in Havana, residents staged neighborhood protests after blackouts lasting more than 48 hours, banging pots and pans and burning garbage piled up on street corners.
    Andrea Rodriguez, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • As the movie shows, local foodies would swarm the ocean whenever striped bass appeared, reeling them in with pieces of Wonder Bread and then whacking them on the head.
    Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 7 Aug. 2026
  • 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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Cite this Entry

“Swatting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swatting. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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