swatting

1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of swat

plural swattings

1. A motion or gesture that swats; a swat.

   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.

   1973, Oliver Sacks, Awakenings

2. USslangThe action of making an illegitimate call to the police so as to have a SWAT team dispatched to a location.

   Swatting is the false reporting of an emergency to the police to trigger an armed emergency response.

   2022, Jon M. Garon, Parenting for the Digital Generation, page 181

   2 more 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.

   2020 January 23, Sheera Frenkel, “People Are Calling SWAT Teams to Tech Executives’ Homes”, in The New York Times, →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.

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