sideswipe

verb

Definition of sideswipenext
as in to hit
US to cause the side of a vehicle to come into forceful contact with the side of another vehicle The taxi sideswiped a parked car.

Related Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of sideswipe Shortly afterward, another officer was nearly sideswiped by the Civic near Shackleford Road, which led to the pursuit on I-430, the release says. — Arkansas Online, 26 Aug. 2026 Hawaii cleans up after Hurricane Lala Communities struggled to recover after Tropical Storm Lala sideswiped Hawaii as a Category 1 hurricane, sparing the islands a direct hit but dumping more than 3½ feet of rain that caused catastrophic flooding. — Robert Abitbol, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2026 Sorensen allegedly admitted to sideswiping 20-year-old Jonathan Langdon's motorcycle while in a jealous rage, according to court records. — Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026 The sedan the boys were driving sideswiped another vehicle traveling in the opposite direction and lost control, striking Bowling near 35th Avenue and Mangels Avenue, the Oakland police previously told PEOPLE. — Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 9 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sideswipe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sideswipe
  1. hit
  2. bump
  3. swipe
  4. contact
  5. strike
  6. ram
Verb
  • Heather is absolutely tickled and lets out a cackle, because that little bit surely hits even harder if the FBI has actually busted up one of your cast trips before.
    — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
  • In other white-collar fields, like legal services or copywriting, AI is hitting labor markets that were roughly in balance.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of hit
Verb
  • Simply bumping the protein number on a label doesn’t produce those outcomes on its own.
    — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Adelaide’s arrival even bumped Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh (King Charles’s youngest brother), out of the top 15 spots.
    — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of bump
Verb
  • And Hawaii is enduring hurricane fatigue after Lala, Lowell and Nolo all swiped by the island chain with heavy rain and strong winds.
    — Chris Dolce, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
  • So try to hold off on making important decisions, like signing contracts or swiping your credit card on something expensive.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of swipe
Verb
  • Some passengers then wanted to return to France, while others wanted to reach England and several people who spoke English tried to contact emergency services.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026
  • If a customer changes their mind or finds a better price, Sell Your Gold states that customers can contact the company within 10 calendar days of payment issuance and follow its rescission process to request the return of their items.
    — Kaitlyn Gomez, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of contact
Verb
  • Harris was driving a 2014 Buick Enclave south near Sandy Ridge Road when the vehicle crossed the center line and left the roadway, striking the guardrail, becoming airborne and overturning, the report says.
    — Rafael Escalera Montoto, Arkansas Online, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Shots also struck the wall of a nursery their small children were in.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of strike
Verb
  • According to the military and law enforcement, a Palestinian man rammed his car into a security checkpoint Wednesday afternoon near the settlement of Beit Horon, seriously wounding the officer.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026
  • The son of Israel’s ambassador to the United States was critically injured Tuesday in a car-ramming attack in the West Bank, according to officials.
    — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of ram

Browse Nearby Words

side streets
sideswipe
sideswiped
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sideswipe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sideswipe. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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