swatting

English

Etymology

From swat +‎ -ing.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Verb

swatting

1. present participle and gerund 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^[1], →ISSN:

     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^[2], →ISSN:

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