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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

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

I saw a big touring car sideswipe a Ford runabout and knock it several feet to one side on the country road.

From "Say Fellows—" Fifty Practical Talks with Boys on Life's Big Issues by Smith, Wade C.

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.