swoop
English · Thesaurus
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swoop
- /ˈswuːp/
- /ˈsuːp/ obsolete
Rhymes with -uːp
Where it comes from
Inherited from Middle English swopen (“to sweep”), from Old English swāpan. Doublet of swaip. See also sweep, which was probably the basis for analogical restoration of /w/ in this word.
verb swoops · swooping · swooped
-
To fly or glide downwards suddenly; to plunge (in the air) or nosedive.
The lone eagle swooped down into the lake, snatching its prey, a small fish.
Similar: stoop
- To move swiftly, as if with a sweeping movement, especially to attack something. The dog had enthusiastically swooped down on the bone.
- To fall on at once and seize; to catch while on the wing. And his Eagles, which can with the same ease as a kite swoops a chicken, snatch up a strong built Chamber of wood 12 foot square, & well crampt & fortified with Iron, with all its furniture, & a man besides, & carry it to the Clouds?
- To seize; to catch up; to take with a sweep. Thus the Phyſitian looks with another Eye on the Medicinal hearb, then the grazing Oxe, which ſwoops it in with the common graſs: […]
- To pass with pomp; to sweep. Proude Tamer swoopes along, with such a lustie traine / As fits so brave a flood two Countries that divides: […]
- To search the ground for discarded cigarette butts that can be made into new cigarettes. He was forever diving into dustbins or swooping on to the ground for cigarette ends.
noun swoops
- An instance, or the act of suddenly plunging downward. The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim. – Sun Tzu
- A sudden act of seizing. Fortune's a right whore. If she give ought, she deals it in small parcels, that she may take away all at one swoop.
- A quick passage from one note to the next. Originally, computers' attempts at making music were recognizable by their beeps and boops and weird swoops.
- A group of swallows or other birds. an entire swoop of swallows plunges into a breach in time, so they can get across the pass at just the right moment.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: slide, pounce, swoop up, punch, slap, blow, attack, shot, melt, offensive, coup, kind, time, swan-dive, stoop, swoosh
Translations
Every language
verb to fly downwards suddenly
| Español | precipitarse, abalanzarse, lanzarse / volar en picada |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | herabschießen, herabstürzen |
| Română | plonja, zbura în picaj |
| Русский | налетать naletatʹ, пикировать pikirovatʹ |
verb to move swiftly, as if with a sweeping movement
| Español | abalanzarse |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | stürzen |
noun an instance, or the act of suddenly plunging downwards
| Español | precipitación, picado, picada |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Sturzflug |
| Русский | пикирование pikirovanije, пике pike |
noun an act of rushedly doing something
| Español | precipitación, arrebato |
|---|---|
| Français | précipitation |
Talk about this word "swoop." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/swoop. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. swoop. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/swoop "swoop." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/swoop.Cite this
@misc{swoop_2026,
title = {swoop},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/swoop},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
