Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.
noun
A type of gunboat used by the United States military on inland waterways.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US
Topics: government, military, politics, war
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A smear campaign based on specious claims.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: attributive, figuratively, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To attack a politician with specious claims.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, derogatory, transitive
Topics: government, politics
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To smear; to attack someone or something's reputation using slander, misrepresentation, or false accusations.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Uncertain: Possibly, swift + boat, or possibly based on an acronym for Shallow Water Inshore Fast Tactical Craft. The use as a political term derives from a smear campaign against John Kerry when Texas tycoon Robert J. Perry hired several Navy swiftboat veterans to form the group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which questioned the legitimacy of Kerry's status as a war hero.
