sideswipe

1 of 2

verb

side·​swipe ˈsīd-ˌswīp 

sideswiped; sideswiping; sideswipes

transitive verb

: to strike with a glancing blow along the side

sideswiped a parked car

sideswipe

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: the action of sideswiping

b

: an instance of sideswiping : a glancing blow

2

: an incidental deprecatory remark, allusion, or reference

Examples of sideswipe in a Sentence

Verb

The taxi sideswiped a parked car.

Noun

She took a sideswipe at the senator's voting record.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

However, the truck fled and sideswiped a vehicle in traffic, police said. — Jeramie Bizzle, CBS News, 13 Sep. 2026

Corle, taken completely by surprise, was sideswiped by the massive bear and sent tumbling face first into a thick clump of brush. — Jan Thacker, Outdoor Life, 3 Sep. 2026

Noun

According to state police, the crash occurred when the trailer body of the vehicle carrying the oversized load crossed the yellow center lines, causing a sideswipe collision with the tractor-trailer that was headed east. — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 15 Sep. 2026

In 2004, there were sixty-nine sideswipe accidents in New Orleans in which a passenger vehicle collided with a large truck. — Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1891, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1857, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for sideswipe

• allotype
• antitype
• archetype
• biotype
• collotype
• genotype
• haplotype
• holotype
• hypotype
• isotype
• lectotype
• linotype

Kids Definition

sideswipe

1 of 2 verb

side·​swipe -ˌswīp 

: to hit along the side with a blow that bounces off at an angle

sideswiped a parked car

sideswipe

2 of 2 noun

1

: an instance of sideswiping : a blow from an angle that bounces off

2

: an indirectly related disapproving remark, allusion, or reference

a sideswipe at the senator's voting record