swatting
/ˈswɒtɪŋ/
CommonMaking a false emergency call to send armed police to someone's home as a harassment or revenge tactic.
Swatting started in gaming communities as an extreme form of trolling but has expanded. It is not just harassment. It is a physical threat that has resulted in deaths.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | he got swatted on stream. you can see the cops show up mid-game. | Police arrived at his home during a live stream after a false report. | x, 2024 |
| 02 | they doxxed her first, then someone used the address to swat her. | Doxxing enabled a follow-up swatting attack. | reddit, 2023 |
| 03 | people died from swatting. this is not a prank. | The real-world consequences include fatalities. | tiktok, 2024 |
| 04 | the fbi got involved because he swatted three streamers in one week. | Federal law enforcement tracked down and charged a serial swatter. | x, 2023 |
Use it when
- Someone made a false police report to send armed responders to a target's home.
- A streamer or public figure had police show up at their house due to a fake call.
Do not use it when
- You mean any form of harassment that doesn't involve police.Use “doxxing” instead.
- You mean exposing someone's address online without calling police.Use “doxxing” instead.
Swatting vs doxxing
swatting
Swatting triggers an immediate armed police response at someone's home.
VS
doxxing
Doxxing publishes personal information to invite harassment over time.
Origin and context
Originated in competitive gaming communities in the early 2010s. Spread beyond gaming as online conflict began having real-world consequences. Multiple deaths have resulted from swatting incidents.
- First seen
- early-2010s
- Confidence
- high
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/swattingUpdated: 2026-08-28License: CC BY 4.0