swoop

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

—

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.

Origin and Etymology of swoop

alteration of Middle English swopen to sweep, from Old English swāpan — more at sweep

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1566

See Words from the same year

swoop

noun

Definition of swoop

1 :an act or instance of swooping

2 :a single concentrated and quickly effective effort

was done in one swoop

—often used with fell

solved everything at one fell swoop

Recent Examples of swoop from the Web

Last summer, thieves grabbed $72 million from Hong Kong cryptoexchange Bitfinex in one fell swoop.

— jen wieczner, Fortune, "Hacking Coinbase: The Great Bitcoin Bank Robbery," 22 Aug. 2017
In one fell swoop, Nestlé has unilaterally eliminated Atari from these markets. ...

— ashley cullins, The Hollywood Reporter, "Atari Sues Nestle Over 'Breakout' Kit Kat Ad," 18 Aug. 2017
But nailing fat loss and muscle gains in one fell swoop requires a strategic approach.

— lauren bedosky, SELF, "How to Lose Fat and Gain Muscle at the Same Time," 2 Aug. 2017
Having failed to drive the state into bankruptcy in one fell swoop, Illinois governor Bruce Rauner came up with a new strategy: bleed it to death with a thousand nicks.

— ben joravsky, Chicago Reader, "Rauner’s ‘special session’ was nothing special," 1 Aug. 2017
The rate increase could have been as high as 20 percent in one fell swoop, or as much as 10 percent per year for the next four years - but the council blamed Fischer for failing to be more outspoken in defense of the higher-rate options.

— james bruggers, The Courier-Journal, "Flood protection, new sewer upgrades, to remain on hold even as MSD rates rise 6.9 percent," 28 July 2017
In one fell swoop, the Royals acquired Maurer, Buchter and starting pitcher Trevor Cahill in exchange for Matt Strahm, Travis Wood and Esteury Ruiz.

— rustin dodd, kansascity, "Royals linked to Toronto’s Francisco Liriano as trade deadline looms," 27 July 2017
In one fell swoop, Trump’s DOJ has provided a roadmap for dismantling years of federal protections and declared that lesbian, gay, and bisexual people may no longer be protected by landmark civil rights laws.

— erik larson, Bloomberg.com, "Trump Targets Legal Effort to Protect LGBT Workers From Bias," 27 July 2017
In one fell swoop, the eagle snatched a piece of fish with its claws and flew away.

— carly breit, Country Living, "Viral Video Shows the Amazing Moment This Majestic Bald Eagle Swiped This Fisherman's Bait," 22 June 2017

First Known Use of swoop

1605

SWOOP Defined for English Language Learners

swoop

verb

Definition of swoop for English Language Learners

: to fly down through the air suddenly
: to arrive at a place suddenly and unexpectedly

SWOOP Defined for Kids

swoop

verb \ ˈswüp \

Definition of swoop for Students

swooped; swooping

:to rush down or pounce suddenly

swoop

noun

Definition of swoop for Students

:an act or instance of rushing down or pouncing suddenly

Learn More about swoop

See words that rhyme with swoop Spanish Central: Translation of swoop Nglish: Translation of swoop for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of swoop for Arabic speakers

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Examples of swoop in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of swoop

swoop

Definition of swoop

Recent Examples of swoop from the Web

First Known Use of swoop

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