as in slap
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
the impatient toddler got a swat on his wrist for stepping into the street by himself
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in to smack
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
Examples of swat in a Sentence
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
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Recent Examples on the Web
Andy Hoglund, Vulture, 6 June 2024
The patient mother nibbles and swats back before standing up and walking toward the camera and then out of frame.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 31 May 2024
Joe Nguyen, The Denver Post, 30 Sep. 2024
Nadal did have a knack for swatting down on-court obstacles with muscle and grit: his snarl belied an inner calm that, more often than not, triumphed.
—Sean Gregory, TIME, 11 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for swat 
Noun
But then to do that kind of Tennessee Williams swat?
—Andy Hoglund, Vulture, 6 June 2024
The patient mother nibbles and swats back before standing up and walking toward the camera and then out of frame.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 31 May 2024
Verb
Dikembe Mutombo, Hall of Fame NBA player who swatted shots for Nuggets, dies at 58 from brain cancer
There will never be another quite like Dikembe Mutombo 💔@malika_andrews on the enduring legacy of one of the NBA’s finest humanitarians.
—Joe Nguyen, The Denver Post, 30 Sep. 2024
Nadal did have a knack for swatting down on-court obstacles with muscle and grit: his snarl belied an inner calm that, more often than not, triumphed.
—Sean Gregory, TIME, 11 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for swat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swat
Noun
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Even just the light congratulatory helmet slaps from his teammates feel explosive.Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2024
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According to the tour agency, on July 3, two young members of an orca pod put on a grand and unexpected show for the whale watchers with playful jumping, tail slaps, and poking their heads out of the water to look around.Julia Daye, Sacramento Bee, 8 July 2024
Verb
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Last night Prospect Park, smack in the middle of Brooklyn, caught fire.Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 9 Nov. 2024
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Director Bruce Goodison applies the tension well in the first two thirds of this efficient Shudder release, but then the plot smacks into a dead-end in its final act.Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The single shot rings out and then a thump as the animal hits the ground.Britta Lokting, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2024
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The group’s classic instrumentation got a new scaffolding of Jersey club drums, roiling sub-bass and reggaeton thump.August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2024
Verb
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After making landfall in Cuba, the storm is expected to sideswipe the Florida Keys and slam into Louisiana at the weekend, though the forecast this far out is still unclear.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
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Donald Trump slams Nancy Pelosi for corruption, calls military generals stupid Robby Soave and Nomiki Konst react to Donald Trump’s rhetoric, resorting to more name-calling.The Hill, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Boeing factory workers voted to reject a contract offer and continue a more than five-week strike on Wednesday, in a blow to new CEO Kelly Ortberg's plan to shore up the finances of the struggling planemaker.Daniel Catchpole, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2024
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Boeing’s striking factory workers voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer on Wednesday night, a major blow to the plane maker, which reported a $6 billion quarterly loss earlier in the day.Danielle Chemtob, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Live updates on Election Day snags:Legal fights and long, long lines Profanities and a punch that knocked glasses off judge's face Again, police reported, Schmidt was told to go to the back of the line.Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 5 Nov. 2024
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Both campaigns have been trying to finish strong with turnout operations and door knocking right up until the polls close.Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
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News that the Mexican government had forced down the Gulfstream and confiscated its 4 tons of cocaine landed with a thud at ICE.Penn Bullock, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2024
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Videos on social media showed bright orange clouds rising over the horizon, as dull thuds of detonations sounded almost continuously.Tony Hicks and Joanna Kozlowska, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2024
Verb
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There was no immediate report of casualties or details on what was hit.Reuters, NBC News, 7 Nov. 2024
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But the latest model still pushes battery life to lengths few machines have hit in our testing, with an unprecedented 28 hours and 33 minutes of video playback time.Brian Westover, PCMAG, 7 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near swat
Cite this Entry
“Swat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swat. Accessed 18 Nov. 2024.
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