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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Kay, meanwhile, rebounded after a first inning filled with traffic — two singles and hitting a batter with a pitch — to top his previous career high of 5 2/3 innings.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
15 May 2026
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As Kelsey Luderer rounded third base and headed home Thursday after hitting a game-tying home run that ignited Sherman Oaks Notre Dame to a 6-3 Division 1 softball playoff win over Anaheim Canyon, she was greeted by every teammate at the plate.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Drivers trading paint started early as there was bumping coming down the front stretch to take the green flag before Lap 1.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2026
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The Knicks downgraded Josh Hart to questionable with a left thumb sprain on Thursday before bumping him up to probable ahead of tipoff for Game 3 on Friday.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
8 May 2026
Verb
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They are also prohibited from contacting the victim.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
9 May 2026
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As part of her sentence, she is also banned from contacting the 15-year-old child who was her victim.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
Verb
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Among other allegations, Betty Broderick was suspected of conducting a longtime vendetta against the couple, including ramming her car into the two-story brick home on Cypress Avenue.—
Jeff McDonald,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 May 2026
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Elliot Rodger went on a killing spree, stabbing, shooting and ramming people with a vehicle in Isla Vista, California, killing six people and injuring more than a dozen before dying by suicide.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sideswiping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sideswiping. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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