swatting
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
The action of making an illegitimate call to the police so as to have a SWAT team dispatched to a location.
Register: slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
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.
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “swatting” mean?
The action of making an illegitimate call to the police so as to have a SWAT team dispatched to a location.
Is “swatting” formal or informal?
swatting is generally slang.