swoop

1 of 2

verb

ˈswüp 

swooped; swooping; swoops

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

swoop

2 of 2

noun

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

Examples of swoop in a Sentence

Verb

The police swooped in and captured the criminals.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The man is seen swooping in, cradling Jabal, who seems to be squirming in the man's arms. — Andrew Ramos, CBS News, 13 Sep. 2026

One 49ers linebacker, Dre Greenlaw, held up Rams tight end Tyler Higbee after a short reception early in the fourth quarter, allowing the other, Fred Warner, to swoop in and punch the ball loose. — Matt Barrows, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Noun

Her blonde hair, styled by Hyungsun Ju, was pulled up and pinned in a handful of loops and swoops, with the ends left out for an almost spiky, yet soft effect. — Kara Nesvig, Allure, 15 Sep. 2026

His hair has the swoop of the Robert Redford style and the voice the resonance of a Lorne Greene school of broadcasting. — Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 14 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

First Known Use

Verb

1566, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

1605, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing swoop

• in/at one fell swoop

Rhymes for swoop

• coop
• coupe
• croup
• droop
• drupe
• dupe
• group
• hoop
• loop
• lupe
• oop
• poop

Kids Definition

swoop

1 of 2 verb

ˈswüp 

: to dive or pounce suddenly like a hawk on its prey

swoop

2 of 2 noun

1

: an act or instance of swooping

2

: a single quickly effective effort

—often used with fell

solved everything at one fell swoop