sideswipe

1 of 2

verb

side·​swipe ˈsīd-ˌswīp How to pronounce sideswipe (audio)
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
The vehicle associated with Khalid sideswiped one vehicle and then hit a second one at West Kemper and Pippin roads. Erin Couch, The Enquirer, 17 Sep. 2024 There were two crashes where a Waymo got sideswiped by a vehicle in an adjacent lane: In San Francisco, Waymo was stopped at a stop sign in the right lane when another car hit the Waymo while passing it on the left. Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, 11 Sep. 2024
Noun
The head-on crash caused a silver Toyota Camry behind the Jeep to be involved in a minor sideswipe, the California Highway Patrol said in a statement to FOX San Francisco. Louis Casiano, Fox News, 14 May 2024 That's how dolphins B (collected in the 1980s in the Gulf of Mexico) and T captured their fish in the seawater pool, using a sideswipe motion of the head. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 1 Jan. 2023 See all Example Sentences for sideswipe 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sideswipe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1891, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1857, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of sideswipe was in 1857

Dictionary Entries Near sideswipe

Cite this Entry

“Sideswipe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sideswipe. Accessed 6 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

sideswipe

1 of 2 verb
side·​swipe -ˌswīp How to pronounce sideswipe (audio)
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on sideswipe

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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