swooped; swooping; swoops
: to move with a sweep
: to gain or carry off in or as if in a swoop
—usually used with up
swooper
noun
1
: an act or instance of swooping
2
: a single concentrated and quickly effective effort
was done in one swoop
—often used with fellsolved everything at one fell swoop
Examples of swoop in a Sentence
Verb
The police swooped in and captured the criminals.
Recent Examples on the Web
Tara Donaldson, Vogue, 16 Feb. 2026
This option swoops fully around the window frame, almost folding your drapes in on themselves to prevent all sunlight from getting in.
—Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 11 Feb. 2026
Alex Galbraith, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Feb. 2026
Vancouver could see if Edmonton has interest in paying draft picks to acquire O’Connor (assuming the Oilers aren’t on his 12-team no-trade list) and offload Mangiapane in one fell swoop.
—Harman Dayal, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for swoop
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
There was a time when much of the fashion industry hoped sustainability regulations would swoop in and help shape their strategies or define their goals, driving momentum in a way that would align with industry and government expectations.
—Tara Donaldson, Vogue, 16 Feb. 2026
This option swoops fully around the window frame, almost folding your drapes in on themselves to prevent all sunlight from getting in.
—Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 11 Feb. 2026
Noun
In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Williams draws us into the characters' magical realm with a playful yet slightly sinister music box theme that soon expands out into a grandiose series of orchestral broomstick swoops, setting the stage for the mega-successful series to come.
—Alex Galbraith, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Feb. 2026
Vancouver could see if Edmonton has interest in paying draft picks to acquire O’Connor (assuming the Oilers aren’t on his 12-team no-trade list) and offload Mangiapane in one fell swoop.
—Harman Dayal, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for swoop
Cite this Entry
“Swoop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swoop. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
swoop
1 of 2 verb
: to dive or pounce suddenly like a hawk on its prey
swoop
2 of 2 noun1
: an act or instance of swooping
2
: a single quickly effective effort
—often used with fell
solved everything at one fell swoop
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
