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
See all Example Sentences for swipe 
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
See all Example Sentences for swipe
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 4 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
swipe
2 of 2 noun
: a strong sweeping blow
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