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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

She approaches the net with her son Ian Foon, 4, and readies the racket to swat away water balloons — a perfect antidote to a hot summer day.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

Meanwhile, Crosby’s camp sought to swat down any notion that his knee was actually a problem.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 11, 2026

Sunday's impressive performance to swat aside a club he said had pushed him to show the best version of himself answered any doubts.

From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2025

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

I saw flashes of light, and I realized the giant was trying to swat them.

From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan

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

A group of activists in Swat also rejected the police’s claims, calling the explosion an act of terrorism and declaring that they would organize a protest in the valley on Tuesday.

From New York Times ● Apr. 25, 2023

The short circuits occurred on Monday at a munition warehouse within the facility in Swat, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 24, 2023

The Taliban were retreating into the mountains of Swat.

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

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

“It couldn’t be handled within SWAT; it needed an immediate Internal Affairs investigation into this — it was getting dangerous,” he responded.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 4, 2024

Colomey said Lopez told him he wouldn’t remove Anzaldo, who was the most senior +1 in SWAT.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 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

Every time a Dodger swats a home run, Pujols waits for him and offers a hug.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2021

She swats at the cup like it's a nagging fly.

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton

He chased Fox down in the open court and swatted his shot out of the air.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

In the quarter-finals, Georgia Stanway's rocket completed a remarkable comeback over pre-tournament favourites Spain, before Sweden were swatted aside in the semi-final, Alessia Russo's backheel the pick of four unanswered England goals.

From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2026

Baker-Mazara closed the gap and swatted the ball.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 2, 2026

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

From Salon ● Feb. 24, 2026

She swatted away some gnats with a dishcloth.

From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce

Along some streets, flies gather near fruit-bearing trees or on parked cars, making it difficult to pass through without swatting at dozens of them in the air.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

Known for "boshing" - a term the England forwards like to use for swatting aside defenders - Muir smiled when discussing the skill.

From BBC ● May 9, 2026

Wolves have been observed swatting the birds away, even appearing to designate a pack member to stand guard.

From Barron's ● Mar. 12, 2026

Aficionados of Chicago-style hot dogs have a strong aversion to using ketchup, so they filmed a bit showing the co-worker swatting a bottle of ketchup out of Hawkins’s hand and creating a mess.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 2, 2025

She smiled and blushed adorably, swatting at him.

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon

Related Words

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