swoop

play

verb \ ˈswüp \

Definition of swoop

intransitive verb

:to move with a sweep

transitive verb

:to gain or carry off in or as if in a swoop —usually used with up

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swooper

noun

See swoop defined for English-language learners

See swoop defined for kids

Examples of swoop in a Sentence

The police swooped in and captured the criminals.

Recent Examples of swoop from the Web

The Red Cross and other agencies swooped in to help, but their presence spooked Kilpatrick residents who worried officials might come after the undocumented immigrants.

— anna claire vollers, AL.com, "Immigration transformed this rural Alabama town; the principal fought to keep the school together," 8 Aug. 2017
So far, though, the story of his presidency hasn’t been of an outsider businessman swooping in to close deals.

— philip bump, Washington Post, "Trump just signed his first new bill in more than a month," 2 Aug. 2017
As promised, Hinckley and a team of about 14 consultants swooped into the administration center at 1988 Polk St. on Tuesday morning.

— carole carlson, Post-Tribune, "Emergency manager, team get down to school business in Gary," 1 Aug. 2017
As Mashable reported, Stuchbery, a historian, writer, and educator, swooped in to set the record straight regarding England's past.

— robert newhouse, Teen Vogue, "British Historian Gives Alt-Right Commentator a History Lesson," 26 July 2017
Early in the film, there are shots of Raqqa in happier times, before the Arab Spring of uprisings against president Bashar Hafez al-Assad that ultimately led to ISIS swooping in and filling a power vacuum.

— cary darling, star-telegram, "‘City of Ghosts’ is a haunting look at life under ISIS," 25 July 2017
While exits by big insurers such as Aetna, Anthem, and Humana are reducing choices in some markets, smaller insurers are swooping in.

— zachary tracer, Bloomberg.com, "The GOP Failed to Replace the ACA. Can Congress Fix What’s Wrong?," 20 July 2017
Toyota Motor Corp. and PSA Group are among those swooping in to take advantage of both nations' increasingly richer populations — many of whom are first-time buyers given existing car ownership is low.

— karl lester m yap, Bloomberg.com, "Make Way For Southeast Asia's Newest Car Hubs Amid Consumer Boom," 5 July 2017
After decades spent buying one small parcel after another across from his masterwork, the swooping office tower at 9 West 57th Street, the developer Sheldon Solow is finally ready to build.

— charles v. bagli, New York Times, "A Holdout Delays a Developer’s Latest High-Rise Dream," 4 July 2017

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