swat

1 of 4

verb (1)

ˈswät 

swatted; swatting

transitive verb

: to hit with a sharp slapping blow usually with an instrument (such as a bat or flyswatter)

swatted the ball for a home run

swat

2 of 4

noun (1)

1

: a powerful or crushing blow

2

: a long hit in baseball

especially : home run

swat

3 of 4

verb (2)

swatted; swatting; swats

transitive + intransitive

: to make a false report of an ongoing serious crime in order to elicit a response from law enforcement (such as the dispatch of a SWAT unit)

Special FBI Agent John Bennett of San Francisco said in a statement to CBS, that those who swat want to see "a tactical response" – specifically, they "want to see armed officers, they want to see a bomb, dogs, helicopters – that's all part of the fun."

—Bryn Lovitt

The congresswoman had just been "swatted," or subjected to a malicious act in which a person hides their identity, then calls the cops and reports a violent crime at the address of whomever they're targeting.

—Ryan Grenoble

swatting noun

Prosecutors say that in addition to initiating the swatting episode in Kansas … Mr. Barriss made dozens of other, similar calls to emergency and law enforcement agencies across the country during which he falsely reported bomb threats, active shootings and other criminal activity at high schools, shopping malls and even the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

—Matt Stevens and Andrew R. Chow

SWAT

4 of 4

noun (2)

ˈswät 

often attributive

: a police or military unit specially trained and equipped to handle unusually hazardous situations or missions

Synonyms

Verb (1)

• bang
• bash
• bat
• belt
• biff
• bludgeon
• bob
• bonk
• bop
• box
• bust
• clap
• clip
• clobber
• clock
• clout
• crack
• hammer
• hit
• knock
• nail
• paste
• pound
• punch
• rap
• slam
• slap
• slog
• slug
• smack
• smite
• sock
• strike
• swipe
• tag
• thump
• thwack
• wallop
• whack
• whale
• zap

Noun (1)

• bang
• bash
• bat
• beat
• belt
• biff
• blow
• bop
• box
• buffet
• bust
• chop
• clap
• clip
• clout
• crack
• cuff
• dab
• douse [British]
• fillip
• hack
• haymaker
• hit
• hook
• knock
• larrup [dialect]
• lash
• lick
• pelt
• pick
• plump
• poke
• pound
• punch
• rap
• slam
• slap
• slug
• smack
• smash
• sock
• spank
• stinger
• stripe
• stroke
• swipe
• switch
• thud
• thump
• thwack
• wallop
• welt
• whack
• wham
• whop
• whap

Examples of swat in a Sentence

Verb (1)

She swatted the fly with a magazine.

The cat was swatting the injured mouse with its paw.

He swatted the tennis ball out of bounds.

Noun (1)

the impatient toddler got a swat on his wrist for stepping into the street by himself

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

In a statement, the Rome Police Department addressed the dangers of swatting incidents. —Calvin Milliner, ABC News, 11 Dec. 2024

Faber swatted the puck into the net for good measure anyway, kicking off a brief dust-up between Faber and Anaheim’s Frank Vatrano, which ended with both men in the penalty box and the Wild on another power play. —Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 7 Dec. 2024

Noun

Moments after Betts’ three-run swat, Jackson Merrill prevented further damage in highlight fashion. —Dennis Lin, The Athletic, 13 Apr. 2024

Reagan bounced back from a shaky first debate in 1984 to swat away age concerns in the second one. —W. James Antle Iii, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 27 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

English dialect, to squat, alteration of English squat

Verb (2)

verbal derivative of swat

Noun (2)

special weapons and tactics

First Known Use

Verb (1)

circa 1796, in the meaning defined above

Noun (1)

circa 1800, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

2007, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1968, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

swat

verb

ˈswät

swatted; swatting

: to hit with a quick hard blow

swat noun

swatter noun

Geographical Definition

Swat

geographical name

ˈswät 

river 400 miles (644 kilometers) long in Pakistan flowing into the Kabul River