swoop

[ swoop ]
See synonyms for swoop on Thesaurus.com
verb (used without object)
  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 or upon): The army swooped down on the town.

verb (used with object)
  1. 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
  1. an act or instance of swooping; a sudden, swift descent.

Idioms about swoop

  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.

Origin of swoop

1
1535–45; variant (with close ō) of Middle English swopen,Old English swāpan to sweep1; cognate with German schweifen

Other words for swoop

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use swoop in a sentence

  • They appeared and vanished about the corners of the Islands and promontories like birds swooping after prey.

    Ancestors | Gertrude Atherton
  • Little wonder that a woman should neglect to make due allowance for the quick swooping of the boat!

  • Even as we watched, a bird came swooping across the lawn, alighted on my knife handle, and began to carol.

    The Idyl of Twin Fires | Walter Prichard Eaton
  • Francesca made a sudden swooping motion, and caught box, cover, and contents in her arms.

  • The sharp chug-chug of a motor suddenly sounded, and the disguised launch darted forward like a hawk swooping down on a chicken.

    The Argus Pheasant | John Charles Beecham

British Dictionary definitions for swoop

swoop

/ (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

noun
  1. the act of swooping

  2. a swift descent

Origin of swoop

1
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

Other Idioms and Phrases with swoop

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.