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• swat
  swat

  verb (used with object)

  to hit; slap; smack.
• Swat
  Swat

  noun

  a former princely state in NW India: now a part of Pakistan.
• SWAT
  SWAT

  noun

  a special section of some law enforcement agencies trained and equipped to deal with especially dangerous or violent situations, as when hostages are being held (often used attributively).

swat

¹ American  

[swot] / swɒt /

Or swot

verb (used with object)

swatted, swatting

1. to hit; slap; smack.

2. Baseball. to hit (a ball) powerfully, usually for a long distance.

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noun

• swats
  plural

1. a smart blow; slap; smack.

2. Baseball. a powerfully hit ball.

swat ² American  

[swot] / swɒt /

verb

Dialect.

1. simple past tense and past participle of sweat.

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swat ³ American  

[swot] / swɒt /

verb (used without object)

swatted, swatting

1. swot.

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Swat ⁴ American  

[swaht] / swɑt /

noun

1. a former princely state in NW India: now a part of Pakistan.

2. Also a Muslim inhabitant of Swat.

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SWAT ⁵ American  

[swot] / swɒt /

Or S.W.A.T.

noun

1. a special section of some law enforcement agencies trained and equipped to deal with especially dangerous or violent situations, as when hostages are being held (often used attributively).

   a SWAT team.

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verb (used with or without object)

swatted, SWATted, swatting, SWATting

1. Usually swat to cause a SWAT team to be deployed on (an unsuspecting victim, especially a public figure or someone prominent on social media) by falsifying a threat, often as a punishment or retaliation.

   His plan was to swat other gamers during their streaming broadcasts so everyone would see it happen.

   The film’s director was swatted when the sequel disappointed fans.

swat ¹ British  

/ swɒt /

verb

1. to strike or hit sharply

   to swat a fly

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noun

1. another word (esp Brit) for swatter

2. a sharp or violent blow

Swat ² British  

/ swɒt /

noun

1. a former princely state of NW India: passed to Pakistan in 1947

2. a river in Pakistan, rising in the north and flowing south to the Kabul River north of Peshawar. Length: about 640 km (400 miles)

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SWAT ³ British  

/ swɒt /

acronym

1. Special Weapons and Tactics: a military-like unit within the US police force, trained to deal with specially dangerous situations, such as hostage-taking and riots

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swat ⁴ British  

/ swɒt /

verb

1. a variant of swot 1

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• swats
  plural

Etymology

Origin of swat¹

First recorded in 1615–25; originally variant of squat

Origin of SWAT⁵

First recorded in 1965–70; acronym from S(pecial) W(eapons) a(nd) T(actics)

Explanation

To swat is to hit or bat at something. You might try to swat a fly with a rolled-up magazine and then watch your cat swat at it with her paws. Someone who's attacked by a swarm of wasps will swat at them as they run away, and a kid who's annoyed at her sister might swat her, too. The smack itself is also called a swat. Experts suspect that swat is an alteration of the Middle English swap, "to strike," which mimics the sound of a sharp blow.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

swat Swat SWAT swats swatted swatting

Allan was caught on video in 2022 using a takeout bag to swat at a union supporter who surprised him at a rest stop.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 2026

Even House Rep. Chip Roy, an otherwise-reliable conspiracist, took to social media to swat down this feel-good hoax.

From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2025

She also showed steel to swat aside third-round opponent McCartney Kessler and Anisimova, who were both hampered physically.

From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2025

Despite his near-constant presence in Los Angeles since the fires broke out, his effort to swat down misinformation has opened him up to jabs about his focus.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 23, 2025

When it doesn't, I swat at it with trembling hands.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir

The Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, were evicted from Swat and other regions in recent years.

From Seattle Times ● May 17, 2024

There was a heavy police presence, and Swat teams from Iraq's interior ministry joined them.

From BBC ● Feb. 7, 2024

Some 50 charlifts dot the hillsides of nearby Swat Valley.

From Reuters ● Aug. 26, 2023

The wounded were moved to different hospitals in Swat, local health officials said.

From New York Times ● Apr. 25, 2023

Many people in Swat saw danger everywhere they looked.

From "Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World" by Malala Yousafzai

"SWAT team, bomb squad, K9 team, gang unit, negotiators, drone team. Every single asset we have to bring this to the safest conclusion is out here right now," he continued.

From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026

And Los Angeles Police Department SWAT, bomb squad and snipers will be in the area, law enforcement sources told The Times.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026

The sheriff's office added that the gunman's home in Anaconda had been searched, and "cleared by SWAT" teams.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2025

Off-duty Deputy Carlos Lopez, a member of the department’s Special Enforcement Bureau, which includes SWAT, allegedly crashed his patrol SUV in Stevenson Ranch before Davis came along and reportedly pulled Lopez from the vehicle.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2023

Mr. McCraw excoriated Mr. Arredondo for letting injured children and teachers languish while waiting for SWAT, protective equipment and keys.

From New York Times ● Oct. 12, 2022

He either swats away shot attempts or, more often, makes would-be shooters run away in terror before they even look at the rim—a phenomenon known as the “Nope.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026

Didier Drogba swats a swerving hack of a volley past Tim Howard.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2024

He swats the ball back on a short hop before it kicks above his head.

From New York Times ● May 1, 2022

It’s the timing and the look of helplessness on an opponent’s face when Brittney Sykes flies in undetected and swats the ball away with a long, thin arm.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2021

Panicking, Mama swats with a dish towel, a frying pan of flames.

From "Paradise on Fire" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

"We have given France so much praise in this tournament, but they were swatted aside by silky Spain. In the main, Spain have outfought and outplayed this French team."

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

French-American land forces converged on an entrenched British army in southeastern Virginia, as a French fleet swatted away a royal navy relief squadron and sealed off the Chesapeake Bay escape route.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

The players could be seen exchanging words throughout their match-up and, at one point during the second quarter, Harrison swatted at the ball being held by Reese after play had already been stopped.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2026

Green’s sign was swatted away by Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La.

From Salon ● Feb. 24, 2026

I decided to intervene before this giant swatted us with his shovel.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

The threat was deemed to be a swatting call, in which a person reports a fake threat to illicit panic and a large emergency response, she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026

With residents already scratching and swatting, it took only a couple of charismatic entomologists to win over the right politicians to move legislation forward.

From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026

That’s because his secret superpower isn’t swatting away shots.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026

Six-time Grand Slam winner Carlos Alcaraz was put through his paces by German journeyman Yannick Hanfmann on Wednesday before swatting him aside to book his place in the Australian Open third round.

From Barron's ● Jan. 21, 2026

Henry is hopping, swatting his arms and neck, shouting in agony.

From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone

Related Words

• clobber
• knock
• slap
• slug
• smack
• smash
• whack