swipe

noun

\ ˈswīp

Definition of swipe

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a strong sweeping blow a swipe of a paw

2 : a sharp often critical remark took a parting swipe at management

swipe

verb

swiped; swiping

Definition of swipe (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

: to strike or move with a sweeping motion

transitive verb

1 : to strike or wipe with a sweeping motion

2 : steal, pilfer

3 : to slide (a card with a magnetic strip or bar code) through a slot in a reading device so that information stored on the strip can be processed (as in making a purchase)

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about swipe

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Examples of swipe in a Sentence

Noun

She took a swipe at her former company in her latest column. a swipe of the cat's paw

Verb

The cat swiped the dog across the nose. They swiped some candy from the store. The cashier swiped the credit card and gave it back to me.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Baker laid the groundwork for his run two years ago traveling to Philadelphia for the 2016 Democratic National Convention and taking regular swipes at Hogan during legislative sessions in Annapolis. — Washington Post, "Baker’s campaign hurt by weak funding, enemies he made as county executive," 27 June 2018 José Manuel Diaz-Soto's gritty urban set includes several walls festooned with posters featuring caricatures of Trump as Hitler, but that is no easy swipe at Twitler. — Jack Helbig, Chicago Reader, "The Wolf at the End of the Block," 12 Apr. 2018 Their ongoing rivalry recently culminated in a war of words, with each manager taking swipes at the other and demeaning each other's character, only adding to the anticipation of the next Manchester United versus Chelsea game. — SI.com, "Rival Managers Mourinho & Conte Set to Clash Once Again as PSG Eye Up Emery Replacement," 12 Jan. 2018 Clearly, one small swipe has the ability to go a long way. — Brooke Bobb, Vogue, "Today, Gloria Steinem Launches a Lipstick That Puts the Power of Activism Into a Slim Black Tube," 21 Aug. 2018 The Lilly Brush promises to pick up pet hair with just a few swipes across clothing, upholstery, rugs and more. — Kim Campbell Thornton, sacbee, "What’s shaking in dog- and cat-product innovations? | The Sacramento Bee," 2 May 2018 Face and Body Self-Tanning Towelettes To buy: $36 with code (originally $48); katesomerville.com These little towelettes deliver a natural-looking, streak-free sunless tan with just one swipe. — Kathleen Mulpeter, Health.com, "Kate Somerville Is Having a HUGE Sale Right Now—Here's What We're Buying," 27 Apr. 2018 Just as Andy furiously silk-screened, taped, filmed, and collected, editing his reality and keeping the world at bay, we scroll, swipe, and recharge ad infinitum, and reality becomes ever more dissociated from materiality. — Laird Borrelli-persson, Vogue, "1968 vs. 2018: 50 Years Later Fashion Is Still Playing With the Bohemian Rhapsody of the Late, Tumultuous ’60s," 14 Dec. 2018 The artist changes from one face to another almost instantaneously with the swipe of a fan, a movement of the head, or wave of the hand. — Wendy Yu, Vogue, "Dim Sum and Peking Opera: Inside Wendy Yu’s Festive Chinese New Year Party," 24 Jan. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

And if the art is inspired by hundreds of thousands of pre-existing pieces, how much is the process informed by a typical degree of borrowing or inspiration, and how much is just swiping? — Chavie Lieber, Vox, "Christie’s just sold an AI-generated painting for $432,500. It’s already controversial.," 29 Oct. 2018 Then the woman drew a large knife, and started swiping at workers with it. — Jared Gilmour, star-telegram, "She stole a Texas motel’s cash register. A large piece of wood was her weapon, video shows," 14 June 2018 Watching Blair Waldorf swipe her AmEx and then take swipes at Serena van der Woodsen has undeniable voyeuristic appeal. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "The Enduring Allure of the ‘Rich Bitch’," 10 May 2018 But then the junior midfielder was sent to the sideline to serve a yellow card penalty for swiping at a Norwell attacker with her stick. — Ryan Hathaway, BostonGlobe.com, "No. 2 Notre Dame girls’ lacrosse holds off No. 6 Norwell," 1 May 2018 Cornered, Chic grabs a knife and swipes it at the family, cutting Alice in the process. — Amy Mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "Riverdale Season 2 Episode 19 Brought the Drama," 26 Apr. 2018 Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLCGetty Images Zac Efron, man who once claimed nobody would swipe right on him on Tinder, is reportedly dating Olympic swimmer Sarah Bro. — Rachel Epstein, Marie Claire, "Who Is Sarah Bro, Zac Efron's Reported Girlfriend?," 7 Mar. 2019 Huawei also added a three-finger swipe gesture to the two Matebooks, allowing you to capture a screenshot by swiping down the screen. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Huawei refreshes the Matebook X Pro and adds a larger Matebook 14," 24 Feb. 2019 This innovative eye was balanced out with timeless roseate cheeks and MAC’s Powder Kiss Lipstick in Werk Werk Werk, which was lightly swiped onto the mouths of each muse. — Akili King, Vogue, "This NYFW Eyeliner Hack Is About to Revolutionize Your Makeup Routine," 13 Feb. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'swipe.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.