What does "swoop" mean?
An instance, or the act of suddenly plunging downward.
Swoop
/ˈswuːp/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An instance, or the act of suddenly plunging downward.
- Grammar: swoop is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: attack, belly buster, belly flop, belly whopper.
- Useful contrasts: ascend, ascent, drift.
- Usage evidence: This is a golden opportunity we'd be stupid to pass up. Let's get to work and finish it all in one fell swoop.
How to use "swoop"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "swoop" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "swoop" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "swoop" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "swoop" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "swoop" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "attack" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "swoop", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 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"
- 2 a swift descent through the air wordnet
- 3 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."
- 4 a very rapid raid wordnet
- 5 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."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 (music) rapid sliding up or down the musical scale wordnet
Verb
- 1 To fly or glide downwards suddenly; to plunge (in the air) or nosedive. intransitive
"The lone eagle swooped down into the lake, snatching its prey, a small fish."
- 2 seize or catch with a swooping motion wordnet
- 3 To move swiftly, as if with a sweeping movement, especially to attack something. intransitive
"The dog had enthusiastically swooped down on the bone."
- 4 move down on as if in an attack wordnet
- 5 To fall on at once and seize; to catch while on the wing. transitive
"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?"
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 move with a sweep, or in a swooping arc wordnet
- 7 To seize; to catch up; to take with a sweep. transitive
"Thus the Phyſitian looks with another Eye on the Medicinal hearb, then the grazing Oxe, which ſwoops it in with the common graſs: […]"
- 8 To pass with pomp; to sweep. intransitive
"Proude Tamer swoopes along, with such a lustie traine / As fits so brave a flood two Countries that divides: […]"
- 9 To search the ground for discarded cigarette butts that can be made into new cigarettes. British, slang
"He was forever diving into dustbins or swooping on to the ground for cigarette ends."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"This is a golden opportunity we'd be stupid to pass up. Let's get to work and finish it all in one fell swoop."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "swoop"?
Common synonyms include: attack, belly buster, belly flop, belly whopper, blow, cannonball.
How do you use "swoop" in a sentence?
This is a golden opportunity we'd be stupid to pass up. Let's get to work and finish it all in one fell swoop.
How do you pronounce "swoop"?
Pronounced /ˈswuːp/.
Etymology
From Middle English swopen, from Old English swāpan (“to sweep”). Doublet of swaip. See also sweep, which was probably the basis for analogical restoration of /w/ in this word.