swoop
[ swoop ]
/ swup /
||
verb (used without object)
to sweep through the air, as a bird or a bat, especially down upon prey.
to come down upon something in a sudden, swift attack (often followed by down and on or upon): The army swooped down on the town.
verb (used with object)
to take, lift, scoop up, or remove with or as with one sweeping motion (often followed by up, away, or off): He swooped her up in his arms.
noun
an act or instance of swooping; a sudden, swift descent.
Nearby words
Idioms
at/in one fell swoop, all at once or all together, as if by one blow: The quake flattened the houses at one fell swoop.
Origin of swoop
1535–45; variant (with close ō) of Middle English swopen, Old English swāpan to sweep1; cognate with German schweifen
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for in one fell swoop
swoop
/ (swuːp) /
verb
(intr; usually foll by down, on, or upon) to sweep or pounce suddenly
(tr; often foll by up, away, or off) to seize or scoop suddenly
noun
the act of swooping
a swift descent
Word Origin for swoop
Old English swāpan to sweep; related to Old High German sweifan to swing around, Old Norse sveipa to throw
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Idioms and Phrases with in one fell swoop (1 of 2)
in one fell swoop
see one fell swoop.
Idioms and Phrases with in one fell swoop (2 of 2)
swoop
see one fell swoop.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.