swat

/swɑt/

/swɒt/

Other forms: swatted; swatting; swats

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.

Definitions of swat

1. verb

   hit swiftly with a violent blow
   “Swat flies”

   type of:

   hit

   deal a blow to, either with the hand or with an instrument
2. noun

   a sharp blow
   type of:

   blow, buffet

   a powerful stroke with the fist or a weapon