swooped; swooping; swoops
: to move with a sweep
: to gain or carry off in or as if in a swoop
—usually used with up
swooper
noun
1
: an act or instance of swooping
2
: a single concentrated and quickly effective effort
was done in one swoop
—often used with fellsolved everything at one fell swoop
Examples of swoop in a Sentence
Verb
The police swooped in and captured the criminals.
Recent Examples on the Web
Observer Wire Reports, Charlotte Observer, 13 Apr. 2024
Maryland and Baltimore may jump ahead of states that have waited more than a decade for emergency highway funding, as the federal government swoops in with aid after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
—Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
In 2044, another total solar eclipse will swoop across Canada into Montana and the Dakotas.
—Maya Silver, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Apr. 2024
Normally, when stocks spike above their fundamental value, short sellers swoop in and drive it back down, profiting along the way.
—Matt Egan, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
During the 2021 Brood X emergence, Zoe Getman-Pickering, a scientist in Lill’s research group, found that as birds swooped in on cicadas, caterpillar populations exploded.
—Celia Ford, WIRED, 28 Mar. 2024
The bird thrives in mountains and other rocky areas near forests, swooping down at night to hunt rodents, rabbits and other prey.
—Ed Shanahan, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2024
Drink makers have swooped in to capitalize on the ongoing cultural obsession with hydration—one in which Stanley Cups are a must-have item and influencers suggest that clear skin is just a bottle of water away.
—Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2024
In theory, a rival company or wealthy group could swoop in and acquire Trump Media even at these price levels, although Ritter said that’s very unlikely.
—Matt Egan, CNN, 26 Mar. 2024
Maggie Doherty, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2024
Keep In Mind Some people prefer a tongue scraper that’s wider and allows for a deep clean in one fell swoop.
—Daley Quinn, Verywell Health, 1 Apr. 2024
On Christmas Day, more than one hundred of the city’s affordable apartments were made uninhabitable in one fell swoop.
—Mya Frazier, Harper's Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024
An orchestra added swoops of strings and injected the song with its pulse while a chorus of young women in matching red pants and white shirts crooned the repetitive chorus.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2024
Everything that had been achieved in Russia since 1985—from the establishment of democratic institutions to the abolition of censorship and the reunification of Russian and European cultures—Putin swept off the table in one fell swoop.
—Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 7 Mar. 2024
What could be a discouraging moment turns on a dime into a sing-along as Bridgers and Dacus swoop in over and underneath Baker’s vocal, ending a song about things breaking down with a roaring round about bumming quick cash off a friend.
—Vulture, 4 Feb. 2024
Gershwin’s melodic material is spun with enchanting gold thread, from the opening clarinet swoop to the bluesy piano riffs to the epic sentimental melody near journey’s end.
—Ethan Iverson, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2024
Parted a bit off-center, her hair is flipped out and away from her face in voluminous swoops, much like the blowouts that were popular in the '70s.
—Marci Robin, Allure, 24 Nov. 2023
Verb
Vargas swooped in to get the next touch, sending the ball between onlooking Toronto players and into the left bottom corner of the net for the only goal of the first half.
—Observer Wire Reports, Charlotte Observer, 13 Apr. 2024
Maryland and Baltimore may jump ahead of states that have waited more than a decade for emergency highway funding, as the federal government swoops in with aid after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
—Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
In 2044, another total solar eclipse will swoop across Canada into Montana and the Dakotas.
—Maya Silver, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Apr. 2024
Normally, when stocks spike above their fundamental value, short sellers swoop in and drive it back down, profiting along the way.
—Matt Egan, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
During the 2021 Brood X emergence, Zoe Getman-Pickering, a scientist in Lill’s research group, found that as birds swooped in on cicadas, caterpillar populations exploded.
—Celia Ford, WIRED, 28 Mar. 2024
The bird thrives in mountains and other rocky areas near forests, swooping down at night to hunt rodents, rabbits and other prey.
—Ed Shanahan, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2024
Drink makers have swooped in to capitalize on the ongoing cultural obsession with hydration—one in which Stanley Cups are a must-have item and influencers suggest that clear skin is just a bottle of water away.
—Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2024
In theory, a rival company or wealthy group could swoop in and acquire Trump Media even at these price levels, although Ritter said that’s very unlikely.
—Matt Egan, CNN, 26 Mar. 2024
Noun
Caving to social custom and familial pressure, Jackie abandoned his lover, Lily, and their unborn child and immigrated to England, losing his job, his country, and his family of origin in one fell swoop.
—Maggie Doherty, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2024
Keep In Mind Some people prefer a tongue scraper that’s wider and allows for a deep clean in one fell swoop.
—Daley Quinn, Verywell Health, 1 Apr. 2024
On Christmas Day, more than one hundred of the city’s affordable apartments were made uninhabitable in one fell swoop.
—Mya Frazier, Harper's Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024
An orchestra added swoops of strings and injected the song with its pulse while a chorus of young women in matching red pants and white shirts crooned the repetitive chorus.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2024
Everything that had been achieved in Russia since 1985—from the establishment of democratic institutions to the abolition of censorship and the reunification of Russian and European cultures—Putin swept off the table in one fell swoop.
—Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 7 Mar. 2024
What could be a discouraging moment turns on a dime into a sing-along as Bridgers and Dacus swoop in over and underneath Baker’s vocal, ending a song about things breaking down with a roaring round about bumming quick cash off a friend.
—Vulture, 4 Feb. 2024
Gershwin’s melodic material is spun with enchanting gold thread, from the opening clarinet swoop to the bluesy piano riffs to the epic sentimental melody near journey’s end.
—Ethan Iverson, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2024
Parted a bit off-center, her hair is flipped out and away from her face in voluminous swoops, much like the blowouts that were popular in the '70s.
—Marci Robin, Allure, 24 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'swoop.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Swoop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swoop. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
swoop
1 of 2 verb
: to dive or pounce suddenly like a hawk on its prey
swoop
2 of 2 noun1
: an act or instance of swooping
2
: a single quickly effective effort
—often used with fell
solved everything at one fell swoop
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