swoop

American  

[swoop] / swup /

verb (used without object)

• swoops,
  present (3rd person singular)
• swooped,
  past participle,  past
• swooping
  present participle

1. 

   to sweep through the air, as a bird or a bat, especially down upon prey.

2. to come down upon something in a sudden, swift attack (often followed by down and on orupon ).

   The army swooped down on the town.

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verb (used with object)

• swoops,
  present (3rd person singular)
• swooped,
  past participle,  past
• swooping
  present participle

1. to take, lift, scoop up, or remove with or as with one sweeping motion (often followed by up, away, oroff ).

   He swooped her up in his arms.

noun

• swoops
  plural

1. an act or instance of swooping; a sudden, swift descent.

   Synonyms:

   drop, sweep, plunge, dive

idioms

1. 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.

swoop British  

/ swuːp /

verb

1. (intr; usually foll by down, on, or upon) to sweep or pounce suddenly

2. (tr; often foll by up, away, or off) to seize or scoop suddenly

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noun

1. the act of swooping

2. a swift descent

swoop More Idioms  

1. see one fell swoop.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• swoops
  plural

Participles

• swooping
  present
• swooped
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• swoop
  simple
• swoops
  simple
• have swooped
  perfect
• has swooped
  perfect
• am swooping
  progressive
• are swooping
  progressive
• is swooping
  progressive
• have been swooping
  perfect progressive
• has been swooping
  perfect progressive

Past

• swooped
  simple
• had swooped
  perfect
• was swooping
  progressive
• were swooping
  progressive
• had been swooping
  perfect progressive

Future

• will swoop
  simple
• will have swooped
  perfect
• will be swooping
  progressive
• will have been swooping
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of swoop

1535–45; variant (with close ō ) of Middle English swopen, Old English swāpan to sweep ¹; cognate with German schweifen

Explanation

To swoop is to move downward quickly and dramatically, like an eagle that swoops down to catch its prey. A swoop is an impressive movement best demonstrated by a bird. If a bird is high in the air, then moves down quickly, making an arc or loop, that's an example of a swoop. People can also swoop — three muggers might swoop in on a victim, for example. The phrase "one fell swoop" means "all at once," and Shakespeare used it first, in "Macbeth:" "What, All my pretty Chickens, and their Dam, At one fell swoop?"

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

swoop swoops swooped swooping

The arrests, carried out in collaboration with the police, followed a tip-off that led to a swoop on the suspects, all women, accused of selling the bouquets in different parts of the capital, Accra.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

“Yes, it’s going to feel endless, but you never know. This person might be open to picking up the check but you swoop in so quickly.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026

Having a bird swoop down to snatch food from your hand is one of the most intimate interactions we can have with wildlife.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026

“In one fell swoop, thousands of Haitians and Syrians now risk losing the right to live and work in the country they call home.”

From Salon ● Jun. 30, 2026

What! all my pretty chickens and their dam At one fell swoop?

From "Messenger" by Lois Lowry

Both swoops were reportedly linked to an investigation into alleged money laundering initiated by the Swiss public prosecutor's office.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

The second sheet becomes the pastry course: crisp little cups filled with jewel-toned summer jam and crowned with swoops of citrus-whipped ricotta.

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026

After the parade, the New York City Department of Sanitation swoops into action to sweep up the thousands of pounds of paper.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026

Then in the spirit of springtime renewal, thought-provoking plays like “John Proctor Is the Villain” and “Fences” will leave audiences in contemplation before festive summer item “Boop! The Musical” swoops in to lift spirits.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 29, 2026

A seagull swoops down out of the dawn-colored sky, lands nearby, and cocks its head at us.

From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz

That secret branch then swooped in to train the resulting child—Cramer—starting around age 3 or 4.

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026

They include current and future pensioners from Rolls-Royce and British American Tobacco, which Pension Insurance Corporation took over before Athora swooped in.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

In early July, EasyJet and Castlelake said they had agreed a deal in principle, but then Apollo - which owns Wagamama parent The Restaurant Group - swooped in with a higher bid.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

But the fins are swooped up by traders for the international markets, where they are used in shark-fin soup.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

Brightbill suddenly swooped up and out of sight as his mother kept running.

From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown

Frasers has built a reputation for swooping in to buy retail brands which have fallen into administration, but its gradual increase in ownership of profit-making Hugo Boss over several years is a different approach.

From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026

Pratt is portrayed as Batman in the video, swooping in to save the day.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026

In the mornings, Christine eagerly awaits the brightly colored, highly vocal birds swooping into their garden, whooping their greetings before flying off into the junglelike foliage.

From Slate ● Mar. 30, 2026

Come to think of it, thoughts are perhaps not unlike a murmuration of starlings, flitting and swooping and morphing with seemingly serendipitous activation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 29, 2026

To write our names on the map in giant swooping letters.

From "The Season of Styx Malone" by Kekla Magoon

Related Words

• dive
• plummet
• pounce