swoop
- 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.
- 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.
- an act or instance of swooping; a sudden, swift descent.
- 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
Synonyms for swoop
Examples from the Web for swooping
Contemporary Examples of swooping
It has the swooping, symmetrical grace of a bird's wingspan.
They craft melodies that mirror those experiences, swooping and soaring and begging you to sing along.
Why Is It Cool to Hate Coldplay? A First Listen of New Album ‘Ghost Stories’Andrew Romano
March 26, 2014
He says the way we do this is similar to a bird of prey assessing its quarry, swooping in.
He did the same for my sister, swooping in to whisk her away from the Cadet Org in Florida.
European leaders have pinned their hopes on wealthy foreign investors, swooping in to buy eurozone sovereign.
Historical Examples of swooping
The general tenor of the sound was a kind of swooping, batlike whine.
Pagan PassionsGordon Randall Garrett
"Give it to me this instant," cried Winnie, swooping upon the small girl.
RosemaryJosephine Lawrence
With a great sweeping, swooping heave Mittie May made the last leap.
Sundry AccountsIrvin S. Cobb
He was gone, with the swooping suddenness of his appearance.
The Thing from the LakeEleanor M. Ingram
The water was whirling, whirling, the whole black night was swooping in rings.
The RainbowD. H. (David Herbert) Lawrence
swoop
- (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
- the act of swooping
- a swift descent
Word Origin for swoop
Word Origin and History for swooping
swoop
1560s, "to move or walk in a stately manner," apparently from a dialectal survival of Old English swapan "to sweep, brandish, dash," from Proto-Germanic *swaipanan, from PIE root *swei- "to swing, bend, to turn." Meaning "pounce upon with a sweeping movement" first recorded 1630s. Spelling with -oo- may have been influenced by Scottish and northern England dialectal soop "to sweep," from Old Norse sopa "to sweep." Related: Swooped; swooping.
swoop
1540s, from swoop (v.). Phrase one fell swoop is from Shakespeare.
Oh, Hell-Kite! All? What, All my pretty Chickens, and their Damme, At one fell swoope? ["Macbeth," IV.iii.219]
Idioms and Phrases with swooping
swoop
see one fell swoop.