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
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Recent Examples of swatting
Mhoon locked in on defense, swatting away shots as TKA’s rim protector while coming up with huge rebounds.
—
Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2026
After Hadel pushes Brown back once, Brown is shown swatting at him again.
—Mathew Schumer, Baltimore Sun, 5 Mar. 2026
Over the course of the last six months, McBrien and the AJC team traveled to the small town of Elberton for an investigation that led them to granite quarries, graves, a swatting raid and a deep dive in explosives.
—Hugo Rojo, AJC.com, 3 Mar. 2026
Then Bryant flew in and stole the moment by swatting it away.
—Michael-Shawn Dugar, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Porter’s 5-year-old son struggled in vain to protect his mother, with Freeman swatting him aside as the child tried to push the killer off her body, according to Bronx Homicide Detective Robert Klein, who took over the investigation into the cold case murder in 2021.
—Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 31 Jan. 2026
The homes and businesses of at least 12 Indiana state lawmakers were targeted with bomb threats and swatting in December as the legislature weighed whether to redraw congressional districts.
—Cate Charron, IndyStar, 15 Jan. 2026
The senior guard caught up with it without much room to spare and jumped in the air, twisting and then swatting the ball off a defender right behind her as the Mighty Macs kept possession.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
Several schools in Yuba County were on lockdown Thursday for what turned out to be a swatting call received at Yuba Gardens Intermediate School.
—CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2026
After Hadel pushes Brown back once, Brown is shown swatting at him again.
—Mathew Schumer, Baltimore Sun, 5 Mar. 2026
Over the course of the last six months, McBrien and the AJC team traveled to the small town of Elberton for an investigation that led them to granite quarries, graves, a swatting raid and a deep dive in explosives.
—Hugo Rojo, AJC.com, 3 Mar. 2026
Then Bryant flew in and stole the moment by swatting it away.
—Michael-Shawn Dugar, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Porter’s 5-year-old son struggled in vain to protect his mother, with Freeman swatting him aside as the child tried to push the killer off her body, according to Bronx Homicide Detective Robert Klein, who took over the investigation into the cold case murder in 2021.
—Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 31 Jan. 2026
The homes and businesses of at least 12 Indiana state lawmakers were targeted with bomb threats and swatting in December as the legislature weighed whether to redraw congressional districts.
—Cate Charron, IndyStar, 15 Jan. 2026
The senior guard caught up with it without much room to spare and jumped in the air, twisting and then swatting the ball off a defender right behind her as the Mighty Macs kept possession.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
Several schools in Yuba County were on lockdown Thursday for what turned out to be a swatting call received at Yuba Gardens Intermediate School.
—CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swatting
Verb
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Her furious attempts to extricate herself from Ramirez ended with her smacking her head on the parking lot asphalt and Ramirez hitting her in the right eye, according to the arrest report.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
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Shepard attached the head of a 6-iron golf club to his sample collecting tool and was recorded smacking a couple golf balls across the lunar landscape.—
Arizona Republic,
AZCentral.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Separately, emergency crews in Oman are battling a fire at fuel storage tanks, after a social media video geolocated by CNN appeared to show an Iranian drone hitting a tank at the port.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Another officer returned fire, hitting Rivera twice.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Everyone erupted into cheers, slapping their 14-year-old brother on the back and jostling him playfully.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Mar. 2026
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Itoje was sin-binned in the 64th for illegally slapping the ball in a maul and 13 men were playing Italy's 15.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Now, further observations of the aftermath of the mission – which entailed intentionally slamming a vehicle into a space rock – is revealing something unexpected in the binary system of asteroids.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
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All forms of assault, including slamming someone against a wall, stabbing and punching, are not OK.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The 13-year-old allegedly punched Hernandez-Lopez multiple times in the face, knocking him unconscious before deputies arrived, the sheriff’s office said.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
12 Mar. 2026
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Monaco, despite being reduced to 10 men in both legs, also came unexpectedly close to knocking them out of the play-offs.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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More teams are punching their tickets to the NCAA Tournament on Sunday as the major conference’s compete for championships.—
Grace Raynor,
New York Times,
9 Mar. 2026
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Mater Dei goalkeeper Nate Enriquez made two saves by punching the ball far away from the goal with his fists.—
Lou Ponsi,
Oc Register,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Residents in several neighborhoods have been protesting at night as the capital has been plunged into darkness, banging pots and pans and shouting anti-government slogans.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
11 Mar. 2026
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Every so often, a shot sailed wide, the puck banging loudly against the glass behind the net.—
Panashe Matemba-Mutasa,
Mercury News,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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These plays are often brilliant, and even lesser variants are fun to watch, because piñata-whacking itself is a naughty thrill, a cathartic fantasy for anyone with a family and/or a secret.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
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Rio’s staunch griminess, dreaming of whacking his brother and wanting to cut his nephew’s tongue for snitching, drags Fxce out into the open sea.—
Matthew Ritchie,
Pitchfork,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swatting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swatting. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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