as in hitting
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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Recent Examples of sideswiping
All of them involved a car sideswiping the back of a tractor-trailer that was making a lane change.
—
Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Williams was found dead behind the wheel of his gray Chevrolet Equinox after sideswiping three vehicles before coming to a stop outside the Coney Island Houses, about a block from where the shooting was reported.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2026
Ramirez-Mesa barrelled through the intersection, sideswiping the 4Runner before crashing into the driver’s side of the Sonata, deputies say.
—Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 6 Feb. 2026
But Parente says Martinez, who was shot five times after the crash, did not cause the wreck, arguing the agent was the person who actually initiated the contact by sideswiping his client, making the condition of his vehicle crucial to her defense.
—Andi Babineau, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2025
Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Williams was found dead behind the wheel of his gray Chevrolet Equinox after sideswiping three vehicles before coming to a stop outside the Coney Island Houses, about a block from where the shooting was reported.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2026
Ramirez-Mesa barrelled through the intersection, sideswiping the 4Runner before crashing into the driver’s side of the Sonata, deputies say.
—Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 6 Feb. 2026
But Parente says Martinez, who was shot five times after the crash, did not cause the wreck, arguing the agent was the person who actually initiated the contact by sideswiping his client, making the condition of his vehicle crucial to her defense.
—Andi Babineau, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sideswiping
Verb
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The play started with Muncy hitting a ground ball up the first-base line.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
5 June 2026
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London’s Christian Olivares, a USC pledge, extended the lead in the third inning, hitting a two-run home run to left field.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 June 2026
Verb
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To alleviate all that blockiness and bulk, the architects chiseled it like a block of marble, shaving here, notching there, bumping out, and pulling in to give it interest in the round.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
4 June 2026
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The first day that Sterling arrived, there was music bumping out of a makeup tent on the soundstage.—
Carita Rizzo,
Deadline,
1 June 2026
Verb
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He was also ordered to stay away from the victim, prohibited from contacting her directly or indirectly in writing, through a telephone, or via social media.—
Peter D'Oench,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
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Rozier’s conditions of release prohibited him from contacting any team members of the Heat and the Charlotte Hornets, including players, coaches and medical staff members.—
Chloe Atkins,
NBC news,
4 June 2026
Verb
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Steven Schwally was convicted of all charges, including second-degree murder, by jurors who watched heart-stopping video of the high-speed crash in his trial for drunkenly ramming his car into the Hawaii Nail Salon and Spa in Deer Park on June 28, 2024.—
Jennifer McLogan,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
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And in the West Bank, emergency responders said a 17-year-old Israeli girl was in serious condition and a 15-year-old also was hurt in what police described as a ramming attack near a bus stop at Gush Etzion Junction.—
Samy Magdy,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sideswiping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sideswiping. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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