swipe

[swahyp]

noun

1. a swing of the arm, paw, etc., in order to strike someone or something.

   He made a swipe at me, but I ducked!

   A swipe from the cat could mean an injured eye for your new pup.

2. a critical or cutting remark.

   Her speech contained a few nasty swipes at the other leading candidate.

3. a swift pass of something over a surface or through a slot.

   You can debit your checking account with just a swipe of your card.

   It’ll take more than a few swipes with a sponge to clean this sink.

4. a strong, sweeping blow or stroke.

   It only took two swipes with the ax to bring the sapling down.

5. a sideswipe.

6. a leverlike device for raising or lowering a weight, especially a bucket in a well; sweep.

7. Also called rubber. Horse Racing.,  a person who rubs down horses in a stable; groom.

verb (used with object)

swiped, swiping 

1. Informal.,  to steal.

   He'll swipe anything that isn't nailed down.

2. to slide (a magnetic card) quickly through an electronic device that reads data.

   Just swipe your credit card if tapping doesn’t work.

3. Digital Technology.,  to move a finger or fingers across an area on (a touchscreen) in order to execute a command.

   Swipe the screen upward to unlock your phone.

4. to hit, brush, or wipe with a swift, sweeping stroke.

   I swiped my face with my sleeve.

verb (used without object)

swiped, swiping 

1. to make a swift, sweeping stroke.

   The waiter swiped at our table with a damp cloth.

   The giant swiped at the mouse with his boulder-sized fists.

2. to slide a magnetic card through an electronic device.

3. Digital Technology.,  to move the fingers across a touchscreen.

   Swipe down from the top to find your Favorites.

swipe

/ swaɪp /

verb

1. informal,  to hit hard with a sweeping blow

2. slang,  (tr) to steal

3. (tr) to pass a machine-readable card, such as a credit card, debit card, etc, through a machine that electronically interprets the information encoded, usu. in a magnetic strip, on the card

noun

1. informal,  a hard blow

2. an unexpected criticism of someone or something while discussing another subject

3. Also called: sweep. a type of lever for raising and lowering a weight, such as a bucket in a well

Word History and Origins

Origin of swipe¹

First recorded in 1730–40; cognate with German schweifen; sweep ¹ ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of swipe¹

C19: perhaps related to _sweep

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. swipe left,

   1. Digital Technology. to move the fingers to the left on a touchscreen: originally, on some sites, a way to close or dismiss something.

      Users of the dating app can swipe left to indicate they are not interested in the photos and move on to the next person.

      Tap on the icon and swipe left to begin recording.

   2. to reject something or someone (often used withon ).

      You’ll find nicer apartments than this—swipe left!

      Even with a six-figure salary, I think I’d swipe left on that job.

2. swipe right,

   1. Digital Technology. to move the fingers to the right on a touchscreen: originally, on some sites, a way to open, approve, or opt for something.

      Swipe right on the profile to send the person a message.

      Swipe right to continue.

   2. to choose in favor of something or someone; approve (often used withon ).

      An iced cappuccino on a hot day like today—I’ll swipe right on that!

Example Sentences

There were several mentions of Brexit - something he has tended to shy away from in the past - including a swipe at the "lies on the side of that bus" during the referendum campaign.

Read more on BBC

As I wait for my bus to leave Zaanse Schans, a bus load of people arrive, swiping their credit cards to pay for their rides.

Read more on BBC

The brothers’ endless swipes at each other in the media post-breakup didn’t give fans hope they’d get back to “living forever.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In an interview, Kirby took a swipe at ultra low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines, discussed artificial intelligence and explained why he thinks the 2028 Olympics might not be such great news for the airline industry.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Successive swipes in press conferences about the club's slow movement in the transfer market included the revelation his relationship with Marinakis had changed.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• pilfer 
• sneak