swat

¹

or swot

[ swot ]

verb (used with object)

, swat·ted, swat·ting.

1. to hit; slap; smack.
2. Baseball. to hit (a ball) powerfully, usually for a long distance.

noun

1. a smart blow; slap; smack.
2. Baseball. a powerfully hit ball.

swat

²

[ swot ]

verb

, Dialect.

1. simple past tense and past participle of sweat.

swat

³

[ swot ]

verb (used without object)

, swat·ted, swat·ting,

1. swot ².

Swat

⁴

[ swaht ]

noun

1. a former princely state in NW India: now a part of Pakistan.
2. Also a Muslim inhabitant of Swat.

SWAT

⁵

or S.W.A.T.

[ swot ]

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.

verb (used with or without object)

, swat·ted or SWAT·ted, swat·ting or SWAT·ting.

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

/ swɒt /

acronym for

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

swat

²

/ swɒt /

verb

1. to strike or hit sharply

   to swat a fly

noun

1. See swatter
   another word (esp Brit) for swatter
2. a sharp or violent blow

Swat

³

/ 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)

swat

⁴

/ swɒt /

verb

1. See swot
   a variant of swot 1

Word History and Origins

Origin of swat¹

First recorded in 1615–25; originally variant of squat

Origin of swat²

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of swat¹

C17: northern English dialect and US variant of squat

Example Sentences

Hence the SWAT teams and armored trucks surrounding his house.

From The Daily Beast

Time was suspended as the world watched and waited for news about the young, brave girl from the Swat Valley.

From The Daily Beast

SWAT teams from larger cities like Manchester and Nashua showed up early, Taylor said.

From The Daily Beast

You were also in SWAT early on, which has the most ridiculous plot ever.

From The Daily Beast

Hoech approached the line of police and SWAT vehicles in his sedan late Tuesday, turned around, and parked.

From The Daily Beast

Then Michael and Alan would be inclined to fidget, until Michael announced it was time to go and swat.

From Project Gutenberg

The Lhari had spoken regretfully, but the way they'd speak of a fly they couldn't manage to swat fast enough.

From Project Gutenberg

See here, out with the whole thing, or I'll swat yer one on the cocoanut, Humpendinck!

From Project Gutenberg

If ye blab a word to anyone, ye'll git me in trouble, an' I'll crush ye as willin' as I'd swat a fly.

From Project Gutenberg

As the centuries rolled on, this district of Swat, together with the valley of Dir, became a great headquarters of Buddhism.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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