swatting

swatting

English

Etymology

swat +‎ -ing

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

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Verb

swatting

1. present participle of swat

Noun

swatting (plural swattings)

1. A motion or gesture that swats; a swat.
   • 1973, Oliver Sacks, Awakenings

     This […] evoked a new disorder — a tendency to sudden, tic-like jabbings and swattings in the air, as if she were fending off flies or mosquitoes.

2. (US, slang) The action of making an illegitimate call to the police so as to have a SWAT team dispatched to a location.
   • 2020 January 23, Sheera Frenkel, “People Are Calling SWAT Teams to Tech Executives’ Homes”, in The New York Times‎, ISSN 0362-4331:

     Swatting started in the combative world of online gaming. It was a way to terrorize someone more famous, get even with a rival or retaliate against someone with different political views.

   • 2021 July 24, Maria Cramer, “A Grandfather Died in ‘Swatting’ Over His Twitter Handle, Officials Say”, in The New York Times‎, ISSN 0362-4331:

     Mr. Herring’s relatives said they wanted tougher laws against swatting and more training for police agencies on how to recognize potential fake calls.