swipe

[ swahyp ]

noun

1. a swing of the arm, paw, etc., in order to strike someone or something:

   He made a swipe at me, but I ducked!

   A swipe from the cat could mean an injured eye for your new pup.

2. a critical or cutting remark:

   Her speech contained a few nasty swipes at the other leading candidate.

3. a swift pass of something over a surface or through a slot:

   You can debit your checking account with just a swipe of your card.

   It’ll take more than a few swipes with a sponge to clean this sink.

4. a strong, sweeping blow or stroke:

   It only took two swipes with the ax to bring the sapling down.

5. a sideswipe.
6. a leverlike device for raising or lowering a weight, especially a bucket in a well; sweep.
7. Also called rubber. Horse Racing. a person who rubs down horses in a stable; groom.

verb (used with object)

, swiped, swip·ing.

1. Informal. to steal:

   He'll swipe anything that isn't nailed down.

2. to slide (a magnetic card) quickly through an electronic device that reads data:

   Just swipe your credit card if tapping doesn’t work.

3. Digital Technology. to move a finger or fingers across an area on (a touchscreen) in order to execute a command:

   Swipe the screen upward to unlock your phone.

4. to hit, brush, or wipe with a swift, sweeping stroke:

   I swiped my face with my sleeve.

verb (used without object)

, swiped, swip·ing.

1. to make a swift, sweeping stroke:

   The waiter swiped at our table with a damp cloth.

   The giant swiped at the mouse with his boulder-sized fists.

2. to slide a magnetic card through an electronic device.
3. Digital Technology. to move the fingers across a touchscreen:

   Swipe down from the top to find your Favorites.

swipe

/ swaɪp /

verb

1. informal.
   whenintr, usually foll by at to hit hard with a sweeping blow
2. slang.
   tr to steal
3. tr to pass a machine-readable card, such as a credit card, debit card, etc, through a machine that electronically interprets the information encoded, usu. in a magnetic strip, on the card

noun

1. informal.
   a hard blow
2. an unexpected criticism of someone or something while discussing another subject
3. Also calledsweep a type of lever for raising and lowering a weight, such as a bucket in a well

Word History and Origins

Origin of swipe¹

First recorded in 1730–40; cognate with German schweifen; sweep ¹( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of swipe¹

C19: perhaps related to sweep

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. swipe left,
   1. Digital Technology. to move the fingers to the left on a touchscreen: originally, on some sites, a way to close or dismiss something:

      Users of the dating app can swipe left to indicate they are not interested in the photos and move on to the next person.

      Tap on the icon and swipe left to begin recording.

   2. to reject something or someone (often used with on ):

      You’ll find nicer apartments than this—swipe left!

      Even with a six-figure salary, I think I’d swipe left on that job.

2. swipe right,
   1. Digital Technology. to move the fingers to the right on a touchscreen: originally, on some sites, a way to open, approve, or opt for something:

      Swipe right on the profile to send the person a message.

      Swipe right to continue.

   2. to choose in favor of something or someone; approve (often used with on ):

      An iced cappuccino on a hot day like today—I’ll swipe right on that!

Example Sentences

If you see an instrument made out of keyboard keys, the story goes that Lari is likely the one who swiped them from Tiana’s computer.

From Los Angeles Times

Grindr’s unique user interface known as the grid allows for quick and abundant connections and avoids the swiping model that some users have grown tired of, he said.

From Los Angeles Times

That was followed by Alpha Male diatribes on book banning, the Black “Little Mermaid,” Trump’s mug shot, ruminations on Hunter Biden’s laptop and swipes at President Biden, whom he calls “Papa Long Hugs.”

From Los Angeles Times

The good news is a swipe left or the word "no" punctuated with a laugh will relieve them of this delusion.

From Salon

While Savage hasn't been found guilty, and any intentions with the supposedly swiped ballots are unclear, his story is seemingly part of a larger wave of destruction of ballots as the election nears.

From Salon

Related Words

• slap