swatting
swatting Lexical Profile
swatting Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The criminal act of making a hoax call to emergency services in an attempt to bring about the dispatch of a heavily armed police response team (such as a SWAT team) to a particular address.
"Law enforcement agencies have increased penalties for swatting due to the severe danger it poses to innocent residents."
The act of hitting or crushing something, especially an insect, with a sharp blow.
"Constant swatting at mosquitoes made it difficult to enjoy the evening by the lake."
• verb
To hit or crush something (especially an insect) with a sharp blow from a flat object or the hand.
"She spent the afternoon on the porch swatting flies with a rolled-up magazine."
To perpetrate a hoax emergency call against someone in order to dispatch an armed police response team to their location.
"The online prankster was arrested and charged with a felony after swatting a rival streamer."
• Rhymes for swatting
Word Origin & Etymology
In its criminal sense, coined in the early 21st century from the acronym SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) plus the suffix -ing. In its physical sense, derived from the verb 'swat', originally an echoic dialetical variant of 'squat' meaning to strike or slap sharply.