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
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
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
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
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
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.
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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.
Verb
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Leveraged ETFs that aim to amplify SpaceX’s performance by providing double the returns (or losses) are already hitting the market.
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Ahead of the impending heat wave hitting the Pittsburgh area, Allegheny County officials have activated a Code Red Heat Advisory for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
Verb
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There was briefly some concern earlier this year that Chestnut wouldn’t be able to participate in the 2026 competition after he was arrested for allegedly slapping a man in an Indiana bar.
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Chestnut competed in the event while serving a 180-day probation sentence after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor battery charge stemming from drunkenly slapping a man in an Indiana bar earlier this year.
Verb
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An on-and-off again rivalry during the primary The two men shared a similar message during the primary, slamming Democrats for mismanaging the state and calling for tax cuts and regulatory rollbacks.
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Also in 2007, Spencer was sentenced concurrently to seven years in prison for choking a woman, slamming her head to the ground, and robbing her of her cellphone, and for smashing into a woman's car and ransacking it, prosecutors said.
Verb
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And take the Exit Readiness Quiz to understand exactly where the gaps are before any business buyer comes knocking.
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Even 6 inches of moving water can pose a serious risk of knocking you off your feet.
Verb
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Halty embraces the way Senda Athletics is punching above its weight as a sportswear brand in a tournament full of global brands and stars.
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An impromptu blind date with a handsome rapist ends with Esther punching him square in the nose, his blood gushing through her fingers.
Verb
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The Atlas Lions made the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup, breaking through the glass ceiling that CAF teams had been banging their heads on for decades at the quarter-final stage.
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While the cameras were rolling, Spielberg would stand just out of frame with two wooden bats, banging them together to startle her.
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.
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And the crowd clearly expected that pucks whacking the nets would be at a premium in this series, too.
Cite this Entry
“Swatting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swatting. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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