swoop

1 of 2

verb

swooped; swooping; swoops

intransitive verb

: to move with a sweep

transitive verb

: to gain or carry off in or as if in a swoop
usually used with up
swooper noun

swoop

2 of 2

noun

1
: an act or instance of swooping
2
: a single concentrated and quickly effective effort
was done in one swoop
often used with fell
solved 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
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.
Verb
When Player 203 and Player 353 start fighting, Myung-gi swoops in with a different idea. Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 27 June 2025 Wall Street hedge funds are swooping in to buy possible insurance claims tied to California’s Eaton fire, a move that has rattled state officials and raised ethical concerns about profiting from catastrophes. Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 24 June 2025
Noun
With just about $2.8 billion dollars in back payments to be paid to former athletes since 2016 and an annual revenue-sharing cap up to $20.5 million dollars accessible to Division I college athletes starting on July 1, the future of college sports changed in one fell swoop. Cory Mull, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025 After the Park District was awarded a $2.8 million state grant for the renovations, officials decided to finish the whole project in one fell swoop, Leiner said. Phil Rockrohr, Chicago Tribune, 24 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for swoop

Word History

Etymology

Verb

alteration of Middle English swopen to sweep, from Old English swāpan — more at sweep

First Known Use

Verb

1566, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

1605, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of swoop was in 1566

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Swoop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swoop. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

swoop

1 of 2 verb
: to dive or pounce suddenly like a hawk on its prey

swoop

2 of 2 noun
1
: an act or instance of swooping
2
: a single quickly effective effort
often used with fell
solved everything at one fell swoop

More from Merriam-Webster on swoop

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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