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.

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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 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
  • Social media giant Meta was hit with a class action lawsuit in Australia on behalf of children and teenagers who allegedly suffered harm over the addictive design features and exposure to harmful content on its platforms Facebook and Instagram.
    — Chad de Guzman, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
  • For the past few years, Baba Stiltz has been hitting the open road with nothing but a guitar, a tape deck, and a few pedals.
    — Harry Thorfinn-George, Pitchfork, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of hit
Verb
  • The Capricorn Moon squares the Libra Sun, making one-on-one expectations bump against your need for comfort or personal space.
    — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Inside a training apartment on-site, specialists taught Darnes how to navigate daily life using touch, sound, bump dots, and his remaining senses.
    — La'Tasha Givens, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of bump
Verb
  • The Kindle feels slower than the Paperwhite, occasionally hanging when quickly swiping through collections or loading graphics-heavy pages.
    — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Thieves made off with nearly $1 million in sports, Pokémon and other trading cards swiped from a FedEx truck in Southern California last week, police said Monday.
    — Dennis Romero, NBC news, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of swipe
Verb
  • Loofe’s mother Susie Loofe wrote on Facebook that her family had been contacted by at least 100 production companies looking to make a documentary about the murder before putting their trust in Imagine Documentaries.
    — Samantha Bergeson, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Chavez contacted an inmate at the prison who worked for Buchanan.
    — Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of contact
Verb
  • The event’s jaw-dropping radiance stunned astronomers, who think that a GRB of this strength strikes Earth only once every 10,000 years.
    — Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The Houthis also struck two tankers in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday.
    — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of strike
Verb
  • Australian lawmaker Helen Haines has had both legs amputated after being rammed by a car outside her electoral office, her husband said, as the man accused of the attack appeared in court.
    — David Hickey, NBC news, 21 Oct. 2026
  • On Monday, Haines, 65, was standing at the rear of her parked car, unpacking items from the trunk, when a man driving a Toyota Land Cruiser drove past her before allegedly turning around and ramming her into her vehicle.
    — Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 21 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 26 Oct. 2026.

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