plural swipes
1
a
: a strong sweeping blow
a swipe of a paw
… he took a swipe at the ball before it stopped moving, a two stroke penalty.—
Ken Fidlin
Ken Fidlin
b
: a sliding gesture (as across the touch screen of a mobile device)
In this day and age, with information available at the push of a button or a swipe, Avdeev's situation is remarkable and rare.—Christopher Miller
Christopher MillerVividly colored orbs appear from time to time, sometimes slowly, often in a mad rush, and seemingly at random. You can move them around with a finger swipe …—David Price
David Price2
: a sharp often critical remark
took a parting swipe at management
Below the picture, the text took a swipe at Perdue's claims …—Thomas Whiteside
Thomas Whiteside
swiped; swiping; swipes
1
: to strike or move with a sweeping motion
Among carnivores like the great cats, wolves and hyenas, cubs pretend to capture prey: stalking, pouncing, biting, swiping at objects with claws extended.—Natalie Angier
Natalie Angier2
: to operate something (such as a function on a mobile device) by sliding one's finger while pressing against a touch screen
On the plus side, it does come with extra large icons on the home screen, and a button bar that you swipe up from the bottom for easy access to video tutorials, troubleshooting tools and 24/7 phone support.—Jennifer Jolly
Jennifer Jolly1
: to strike or wipe (something or someone) with a sweeping motion
Pallone mimicked Rose's gestures in rebuttal—and, perhaps inadvertently, swiped Rose on the cheek near his left eye.—Steve Wulf
Steve WulfOne model boasted a small rectangular "rest" that kept the head from touching the counter when it was laid down and also sported a useful notch for swiping the rim of a jar or bowl.—Lisa McManus
Lisa McManus2
: to activate or control (something) with a swiping gesture
Tinder allows users to swipe their phone screen to the right when they see a picture of someone they like. …—The Mercury (South Africa)
The Mercury (South Africa)3
4
: to slide (a card with a magnetic strip or bar code) through a slot in a reading device so that information contained in the strip or code can be processed (as in making a purchase)
Instead of swiping your credit card, or inserting its chip to complete the payment process, contactless technology lets you make a purchase by placing or hovering your card or phone near a payment terminal, a.k.a. the credit card machine.—Geoffrey Morrison
Geoffrey MorrisonSynonyms
Noun
- bang
- bash
- bat
- beat
- belt
- biff
- blow
- bop
- box
- buffet
- bust
- chop
- clap
- clip
- clout
- crack
- cuff
- dab
- douse [British]
- fillip
- hack
- haymaker
- hit
- hook
- knock
- larrup [dialect]
- lash
- lick
- pelt
- pick
- plump
- poke
- pound
- punch
- rap
- slam
- slap
- slug
- smack
- smash
- sock
- spank
- stinger
- stripe
- stroke
- swat
- switch
- thud
- thump
- thwack
- wallop
- welt
- whack
- wham
- whop
- whap
Verb
Examples of swipe in a Sentence
Noun
She took a swipe at her former company in her latest column.
a swipe of the cat's paw
Verb
The cat swiped the dog across the nose.
They swiped some candy from the store.
The cashier swiped the credit card and gave it back to me.
Recent Examples on the WebTrey Williams, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2024
Modern dating can be severed into two eras: before the swipe, and after.
—Lora Kelley, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
On the bottom bun is a swipe of something special, the pièce de résistance: white truffle aioli.
—Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2024
After a couple streak-free swipes and only a few minutes to dry, our tester noticed how lustrous and high-coverage her nails appeared, putting it above others she’s used before.
—Kate Watson, Peoplemag, 16 Mar. 2024
To directly download the file, swipe to the end of the Share To options and tap More.
—Boone Ashworth, WIRED, 12 Mar. 2024
Just a few swipes and my lashes are transformed with a softer, more natural look than black mascara provides for my skin tone.
—Alyssa Brascia, Peoplemag, 30 Mar. 2024
The settlement opens doors for retailers to place surcharges on cards with higher swipe fees, which could make using a premium card with a hefty rewards program more expensive.
—Bailey Schulz, USA TODAY, 30 Mar. 2024
Once the tinting is complete, excess pigment is removed with the help of a Q-tip and a swipe of damp cotton.
—Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 28 Mar. 2024
Mia Sato, The Verge, 24 Apr. 2024
On Pixel phones, for example, there’s a little green blob in the top-right corner of the screen—swipe down from the top of the screen and tap the indicator to see the app currently using the camera or mic.
—David Nield/ Gizmodo, Quartz, 22 Apr. 2024
Glendale reacts: City 'swiped left' on Coyotes after 'fractured relationship'
The Coyotes played at the Gila River Arena in Glendale for 18 years before the city cut ties with the team in 2021.
—The Arizona Republic, 15 Apr. 2024
Tap twice to control playback and manage calls, swipe forward or backward to change tracks, and swipe up or down to adjust the volume.
—PCMAG, 11 Apr. 2024
Ken Griffin, the founder of the financial firm Citadel and a major Republican donor, swiped at Mr. Biden’s economic pitch in a Bloomberg interview in November.
—Jim Tankersley, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024
In a wholesome video shared to Instagram in 2021 not long after Underwood came out as gay, he and his grandma are seen swiping through potential matches on Tinder.
—Alexandra Schonfeld, Peoplemag, 24 Mar. 2024
Open your door and swipe the token across the panel, and the alarm would automatically deactivate.
—PCMAG, 10 Apr. 2024
Makeup artist Mai Quynh gave us her top tip when applying pressed powder: Use a sponge or dense brush and apply in a pressing or rolling motion rather than swiping to set makeup without disturbing it.
—Clare Holden, Glamour, 2 Apr. 2024
Noun
When the San Jose office opened in September, attendance based on badge swipes was roughly 20%.
—Trey Williams, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2024
Modern dating can be severed into two eras: before the swipe, and after.
—Lora Kelley, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
On the bottom bun is a swipe of something special, the pièce de résistance: white truffle aioli.
—Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2024
After a couple streak-free swipes and only a few minutes to dry, our tester noticed how lustrous and high-coverage her nails appeared, putting it above others she’s used before.
—Kate Watson, Peoplemag, 16 Mar. 2024
To directly download the file, swipe to the end of the Share To options and tap More.
—Boone Ashworth, WIRED, 12 Mar. 2024
Just a few swipes and my lashes are transformed with a softer, more natural look than black mascara provides for my skin tone.
—Alyssa Brascia, Peoplemag, 30 Mar. 2024
The settlement opens doors for retailers to place surcharges on cards with higher swipe fees, which could make using a premium card with a hefty rewards program more expensive.
—Bailey Schulz, USA TODAY, 30 Mar. 2024
Once the tinting is complete, excess pigment is removed with the help of a Q-tip and a swipe of damp cotton.
—Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 28 Mar. 2024
Verb
Now, users can swipe left between new posts and swipe up to go straight to the comment section, regardless of the type of media in the original post.
—Mia Sato, The Verge, 24 Apr. 2024
On Pixel phones, for example, there’s a little green blob in the top-right corner of the screen—swipe down from the top of the screen and tap the indicator to see the app currently using the camera or mic.
—David Nield/ Gizmodo, Quartz, 22 Apr. 2024
Glendale reacts: City 'swiped left' on Coyotes after 'fractured relationship'
The Coyotes played at the Gila River Arena in Glendale for 18 years before the city cut ties with the team in 2021.
—The Arizona Republic, 15 Apr. 2024
Tap twice to control playback and manage calls, swipe forward or backward to change tracks, and swipe up or down to adjust the volume.
—PCMAG, 11 Apr. 2024
Ken Griffin, the founder of the financial firm Citadel and a major Republican donor, swiped at Mr. Biden’s economic pitch in a Bloomberg interview in November.
—Jim Tankersley, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024
In a wholesome video shared to Instagram in 2021 not long after Underwood came out as gay, he and his grandma are seen swiping through potential matches on Tinder.
—Alexandra Schonfeld, Peoplemag, 24 Mar. 2024
Open your door and swipe the token across the panel, and the alarm would automatically deactivate.
—PCMAG, 10 Apr. 2024
Makeup artist Mai Quynh gave us her top tip when applying pressed powder: Use a sponge or dense brush and apply in a pressing or rolling motion rather than swiping to set makeup without disturbing it.
—Clare Holden, Glamour, 2 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'swipe.' 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
“Swipe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swipe. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.
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swipe
2 of 2 noun
: a strong sweeping blow
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