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definitions

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.

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RELATED WORDS

pounce, dive, plummet, rush, plunge, sweep, stoop, slide, fall

Nearby words

  1. swollenly,
  2. swoln,
  3. swonk,
  4. swonken,
  5. swoon,
  6. swoosh,
  7. swop,
  8. sword,
  9. sword bayonet,
  10. sword bean

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
SYNONYMS FOR swoop
4. dive, plunge, sweep, drop.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for swooping

British Dictionary definitions for swooping

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 swooping

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.