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
Kevin Durant swatted it against the backboard, and then there was an inadvertent whistle during a scramble for the loose ball.
—
Zach Harper, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2026
Williams sliced through Davis and Simmons before Byrd cleanly swatted his shot in the lane, and replays indicated incidental contact from any of them.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Jan. 2026
Berglund swatted it toward the left post and an unguarded Eklund scored easily.
—Tris Wykes, Twin Cities, 6 Jan. 2026
Long regarded as the league’s premier backcourt shot-blocker, White has swatted aside 289 shots over the last four seasons, 57 more than second-place Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and more than 100 more than any other guard.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 31 Dec. 2025
The 2025 Broncos, with a title-worthy defense, are 11-2 in one-score games including 3-2 in those decided on the final play (four on field goals and one when linebacker Nik Bonitto swatted away a 2-point conversion attempt in an overtime win in Week 13).
—Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 30 Dec. 2025
Silva swatted away two shots and impacted countless others on defense, while Miles started to getting hot on the other end.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Dec. 2025
The association swatted back at the transfer rules being pushed onto them by state legislators.
—Tyler Palmateer, Nashville Tennessean, 12 Dec. 2025
As Okongwu fell to the floor, the ball floated in the air and Bane swatted it down off Okongwu’s head like a volleyball player executing a spike.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 9 Dec. 2025
Zach Harper, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2026
Williams sliced through Davis and Simmons before Byrd cleanly swatted his shot in the lane, and replays indicated incidental contact from any of them.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Jan. 2026
Berglund swatted it toward the left post and an unguarded Eklund scored easily.
—Tris Wykes, Twin Cities, 6 Jan. 2026
Long regarded as the league’s premier backcourt shot-blocker, White has swatted aside 289 shots over the last four seasons, 57 more than second-place Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and more than 100 more than any other guard.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 31 Dec. 2025
The 2025 Broncos, with a title-worthy defense, are 11-2 in one-score games including 3-2 in those decided on the final play (four on field goals and one when linebacker Nik Bonitto swatted away a 2-point conversion attempt in an overtime win in Week 13).
—Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 30 Dec. 2025
Silva swatted away two shots and impacted countless others on defense, while Miles started to getting hot on the other end.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Dec. 2025
The association swatted back at the transfer rules being pushed onto them by state legislators.
—Tyler Palmateer, Nashville Tennessean, 12 Dec. 2025
As Okongwu fell to the floor, the ball floated in the air and Bane swatted it down off Okongwu’s head like a volleyball player executing a spike.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 9 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swatted
Verb
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Scientists have long debated whether dinosaurs were in decline before an asteroid smacked the Earth 66 million years ago, causing mass extinction.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
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Stout yelled at Valkyrie about going to the bathroom several times on Saturday and smacked the girl at least twice, the mother told police.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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And finally, in late October, when plans for another bilateral summit were shelved (again because the Kremlin seemed unwilling to compromise), the White House slapped sanctions on Russia’s biggest oil giants, Lukoil and Rosneft – a step even the Biden administration had balked at.—
Clare Sebastian,
CNN Money,
27 Jan. 2026
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As Khloé attempted to pull the women apart, punches and kicks flew, and Kourtney slapped Kim across the face.—
Liza Esquibias,
PEOPLE,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The styling team has knocked it out of the park yet again.—
Hannah Abraham,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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In September 2014, TMZ published a grainy elevator security video that showed Ray Rice, the star running back for the Baltimore Ravens, punching his girlfriend in the face so hard that she was knocked unconscious.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Journalist Don Lemon was released from custody Friday after he was arrested and hit with federal civil rights charges over his coverage of an anti-immigration enforcement protest that disrupted a service at a Minnesota church.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Jan. 2026
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But of all the spaghetti that got thrown at the wall, this is the one that hits for reasons that are totally orthogonal to politics and sort of Washington.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Joe Mazzulla tipped his cap to Patriots counterpart Mike Vrabel after New England punched its ticket to Super Bowl LX.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
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For many, the surge in gold prices has punched a hole in their wedding budgets.—
Preeti Soni,
Bloomberg,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Wilson slammed Homeland Security officials for the shooting that came a day after a woman was fatally shot by immigration agents in Minneapolis.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
9 Jan. 2026
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Many Democrats have slammed the administration's conclusions, arguing that the video does not appear to show the woman trying to hit officers.—
Maggie Vespa,
NBC news,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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One man pulled a small hotel sign off the building and raised it above his head, while another banged a pot on it to make more noise.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
26 Jan. 2026
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In recent weeks, defense secretary Pete Hegseth has banged the drum about the Pentagon’s desire to be a tech-focused, AI-first department.—
Thomas Brewster,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Fort's supporters in the courtroom clapped and whooped.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Jan. 2026
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Members danced and clapped and lifted their arms in prayer.—
Sarah Bahari,
Dallas Morning News,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swatted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swatted. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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