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Synonyms

sideswipe

American  
[sahyd-swahyp] / ˈsaɪdˌswaɪp /

verb (used with object)

sideswiped, sideswiping

  1. to scrape or hit with a sweeping stroke along the side.

    That car must’ve sideswiped mine when it backed out of the parking space.

noun

  1. a sweeping stroke or scrape along the side.

    We can fix that sideswipe and repaint the car door for a reasonable price.

    By checking your mirror before changing lanes, you can avoid sideswipes.
sideswipe British  
/ ˈsaɪdˌswaɪp /

noun

  1. a glancing blow or hit along or from the side

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

"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

verb

  1. to strike (someone) with such a blow

"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

Other Word Forms

  • sideswiper noun

Etymology

Origin of sideswipe

An Americanism first recorded in 1900–05; side 1 + swipe

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

That's because some of the non-colliding positively charged protons are set swirling as the nuclei sideswipe one another at close to the speed of light.

From Science Daily • May 17, 2024

On top of that, monthly economic readings are likely to be sideswipe from months by a distortion to industrial and payroll stats from labor strikes at the big U.S. automakers.

From Reuters • Sep. 18, 2023

It’s like a game of chicken where two cars are headed toward each other, but a third car is coming in from the side trying to sideswipe one of them to prevent the collision.

From Slate • Aug. 8, 2019

Wishing the Hawaiians good luck and may Hurricane Lane just sideswipe them a little as it passes by this weekend.

From New York Times • Aug. 23, 2018

"Yes, we got a beauty of a sideswipe," he said.

From The Circus Boys on the Plains : or, the Young Advance Agents Ahead of the Show by Darlington, Edgar B. P.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.