as in smacked
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 swatted
Donovan drove for what looked to be a routine layup before James chased him down, went airborne, and swatted it away from behind.
—
Megan Armstrong, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
Before things unraveled, Latz pitched masterfully, and the Rangers swatted a pair of home runs in regulation to even the season’s first series and win 5-4 on a chilly afternoon.
—Shawn McFarland, Dallas Morning News, 28 Mar. 2026
Welcome to Clara Strack’s block party, where any and all opponents can get their shots swatted to the band section.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2026
The All-American sophomore didn’t even look at the basket, volleying the ball back to Quinonez, and Quinonez instantly swatted it back at Strong as the defender between them faced whiplash trying to get in position.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 18 Mar. 2026
Viel caught Dach in Anaheim’s end three minutes in after the Montreal forward swatted at the puck with his arm but missed.
—Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Harkening back to the league’s glory days, back when the big men battles were so brawling the conference temporarily went to six fouls, Ejiofor scored 18 points, yanked down nine rebounds and swatted six blocks.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 15 Mar. 2026
Viel caught Dach in Anaheim’s end three minutes in after the Montreal forward swatted at the puck with his arm but missed.
—ABC News, 15 Mar. 2026
Viel caught Dach in Anaheim's end three minutes in after the Montreal forward swatted at the puck with his arm but missed.
—CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026
Megan Armstrong, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
Before things unraveled, Latz pitched masterfully, and the Rangers swatted a pair of home runs in regulation to even the season’s first series and win 5-4 on a chilly afternoon.
—Shawn McFarland, Dallas Morning News, 28 Mar. 2026
Welcome to Clara Strack’s block party, where any and all opponents can get their shots swatted to the band section.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2026
The All-American sophomore didn’t even look at the basket, volleying the ball back to Quinonez, and Quinonez instantly swatted it back at Strong as the defender between them faced whiplash trying to get in position.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 18 Mar. 2026
Viel caught Dach in Anaheim’s end three minutes in after the Montreal forward swatted at the puck with his arm but missed.
—Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Harkening back to the league’s glory days, back when the big men battles were so brawling the conference temporarily went to six fouls, Ejiofor scored 18 points, yanked down nine rebounds and swatted six blocks.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 15 Mar. 2026
Viel caught Dach in Anaheim’s end three minutes in after the Montreal forward swatted at the puck with his arm but missed.
—ABC News, 15 Mar. 2026
Viel caught Dach in Anaheim's end three minutes in after the Montreal forward swatted at the puck with his arm but missed.
—CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swatted
Verb
-
When Zuccarello took a swipe with his stick and smacked McCarron in the leg, the big man responded with a Oscar-worthy acting job, feigning like he had been slashed on the wrist.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Krogstad smacked two doubles and drove in three runs.—
Don Norcross,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Williams then flailed his arms behind him and slapped Doncic in the throat.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Anduril has also signed deals with companies in Japan and South Korea, as well as the government of Taiwan; that last partnership caught the ire of Beijing, which slapped sanctions on both Anduril and Luckey last year.—
Nicholas Gordon,
Fortune,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Video and witness statements, police said, revealed that Hussain was assaulted in the building’s lobby, struck and knocked to the ground before being forced toward his apartment.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
1 Apr. 2026
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Then in 1998, Buttered Popcorn knocked it from the top spot.—
Samantha Agate,
Kansas City Star,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Crow-Armstrong had support from his team during Friday’s news conference, where first baseman Michael Busch, manager Craig Counsell, hitting coach Dustin Kelly, assistant hitting coach John Mallee and staff assistant AJ Lewis took in the scene.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Alcantara left the mound with a lead, courtesy of the bottom of Miami’s lineup stringing together hits in the second.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Rockets are a team that lost its starting point guard (Fred VanVleet) at the start of the year while the Knicks brought back and built upon the exact same core that punched the franchise’s first ticket to the conference finals in the last quarter-century.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
1 Apr. 2026
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Manning allegedly punched and kicked Hartman in the face and torso, scratched her, choked her and grabbed her by the hair and slammed her against the floor and wall.—
Christina Dugan Ramirez,
FOXNews.com,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Rod Sellers and Laettner grappled for a loose ball and Sellers elbowed Laettner in the face and slammed his head to the floor.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
29 Mar. 2026
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Several controversies have also slammed the Mag 7 in recent days.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The 14ers banged drums and danced like no one was watching.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
29 Mar. 2026
-
On a break point at 1-1, Fonseca banged a serve out wide.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The arena clapped and cheered for their new archbishop.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Those guys all stood up and clapped.—
Bruce Feldman,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swatted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swatted. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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