side·swipe
ˈsīd-ˌswīp 
sideswiped; sideswiping; sideswipes
: to strike with a glancing blow along the side
sideswiped a parked car
1
a
: the action of sideswiping
b
: an instance of sideswiping : a glancing blow
2
: an incidental deprecatory remark, allusion, or reference
Examples of sideswipe in a Sentence
Verb
The taxi sideswiped a parked car.
Noun
She took a sideswipe at the senator's voting record.
Recent Examples on the Web
Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 8 Feb. 2025
When this night of revelry abruptly ends, with a slightly intoxicated Nati sneaking off into the night, only to be sideswiped by a car while crossing the road, the incredible vacuum left by his death is immediately felt.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 20 Jan. 2025
Jade Jackson, The Indianapolis Star, 27 Dec. 2024
The head-on crash caused a silver Toyota Camry behind the Jeep to be involved in a minor sideswipe, the California Highway Patrol said in a statement to FOX San Francisco.
—Louis Casiano, Fox News, 14 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for sideswipe 
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Verb
Arriving troopers learned that a Hyundai Genesis was driving in the center of three travel lanes on I-84 west when it was allegedly sideswiped by a Nissan Juke at a high rate of speed before the Exit 61 on-ramp, the warrant affidavit said.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 8 Feb. 2025
When this night of revelry abruptly ends, with a slightly intoxicated Nati sneaking off into the night, only to be sideswiped by a car while crossing the road, the incredible vacuum left by his death is immediately felt.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 20 Jan. 2025
Noun
According to Indiana State Police, the Penske truck's driver was not in the correct lane causing the driver of a coal truck to move onto the emergency shoulder to avoid a sideswipe crash.
—Jade Jackson, The Indianapolis Star, 27 Dec. 2024
The head-on crash caused a silver Toyota Camry behind the Jeep to be involved in a minor sideswipe, the California Highway Patrol said in a statement to FOX San Francisco.
—Louis Casiano, Fox News, 14 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for sideswipe
Dictionary Entries Near sideswipe
Cite this Entry
“Sideswipe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sideswipe. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sideswipe
1 of 2 verb
side·swipe
-ˌswīp
: to hit along the side with a blow that bounces off at an angle
sideswiped a parked car
sideswipe
2 of 2 noun1
: an instance of sideswiping : a blow from an angle that bounces off
2
: an indirectly related disapproving remark, allusion, or reference
a sideswipe at the senator's voting record
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