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

Relevance

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 Corle, taken completely by surprise, was sideswiped by the massive bear and sent tumbling face first into a thick clump of brush. — Jan Thacker, Outdoor Life, 3 Sep. 2026 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 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
  • Prosecutors said Wilcox was hit by gunfire, fell to the ground and fired three more gunshots at the officers.
    — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The different program sales operations of Skydance hit the Côte d’Azur under their pre-existing Paramount and WB brands.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of hit
Verb
  • Being bumped to a relief role required some selflessness from Seymour and Jax — both of whom began the season in the bullpen and were transitioned to the rotation.
    — Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Cooper went from the active roster to getting bumped down to the practice squad and now off the team entirely in a matter of about 10 days.
    — David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of bump
Verb
  • The thefts attracted attention in September partly because of how easily the artworks appeared to have been swiped.
    — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Just moments prior, Link had swiped some of Jo’s old pain meds as his addiction issues seem to only be getting bigger.
    — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of swipe
Verb
  • The Washington Examiner contacted Khan and American Priorities for comment.
    — Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The woman contacted her 72-year-old father, who came out of the house to remove Gonzalez.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of contact
Verb
  • Monday's attack came a day after a Russian drone struck the village of Pisochyn in the Kharkiv district, killing three people and injuring nine others, including children, according to the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Berlin said the would-be robbery victim who fired the shot that struck Jamerson and killed Hill will not face felony charges.
    — Lauren Victory, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of strike
Verb
  • In Long Beach, Newsom acknowledged how unprecedented the move was, even for a governor known for ramming proposals through the Legislature.
    — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Pedrosa said Belgal tried to flee and made a turn, but did not appear to ram any ICE vehicles.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 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 19 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of fervid

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All