as in slaps
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 smacks
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
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of swats
Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025
Thumps sound, and his arm disappears as someone swats it down.
—Sahana Jayaraman, AZCentral.com, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for swats
Verb
And when Melbourne still attempts to challenge the two-time Defensive Player of the Year, Wilson swats it away with ease.
—Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025
Thumps sound, and his arm disappears as someone swats it down.
—Sahana Jayaraman, AZCentral.com, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for swats
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swats
Noun
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In this world, items are paid for by receiving slaps to the face.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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Europe has long underspent on defense, and where American cajoling for decades had not worked, a few face slaps succeeded.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Squad' rep's felon husband smacks phone from reporter 3.—
,
FOXNews.com,
7 Jan. 2026
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Just as this monster is about to take out the entire team on the Abyss, a giant boulder flies through the air and smacks him in the face.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
1 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Altman and other senior executives took to social media to respond to swipes from Anthropic, which ran Super Bowl ads that poked fun at OpenAI's decision to run ads within ChatGPT.—
Ashley Capoot,Kate Rooney,
CNBC,
9 Feb. 2026
-
The formula is slippery-smooth, coating lashes in just one or two swipes.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Opportunity knocks on software stocks, including Microsoft (MSFT), Salesforce (CRM), and ServiceNow (NOW), which all got slammed in Thursday's trading amid pressure on the software sector ETF (IGV) from artificial intelligence (AI) disruption concerns.—
Jeff Kilburg,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
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Julio Cesar Chavez suffers his first loss in 91 fights when Frankie Randall knocks him down in the 11th round and wins the WBC super lightweight championship on a split decision.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In Guyana’s capital city of Georgetown, neighbors can still hear the thumps.—
Tyler Jett,
Des Moines Register,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Quince's version is made with 24 percent spandex for extra stretch and features a high-cut leg that hits just right to cinch your waist.—
Claire Gallam,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Feb. 2026
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Witherspoon was one of the Seahawks’ stars of the game with a sack and two QB hits, one of which led to an interception from Patriots QB Drake Maye.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Its lacing system moves away from traditional hole punches for all but its two upper eyestays, with the rest replaced by cord loops that allow for a more personalized fit.—
Ian Servantes,
Footwear News,
13 Feb. 2026
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This modest but super-smart production punches way above its weight.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Continue reading … POLITICS BAD CALL – Trump admin slams Dems’ ‘call 911 on ICE’ push as reckless, links policy to riots and violent arrests.—
,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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Winter storm slams the East While Arizona's system is mostly a light-rain and mountain-snow setup, a sprawling winter storm is creating far bigger problems across the eastern half of the country.—
Hayleigh Evans,
AZCentral.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swats. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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