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Glite Dictionary
📱 To slide quickly 💥 A strong hit 💥 To hit hard 🕵️ To steal
to swipe

to swipe

10 3.7
To hit with a quick swinging movement of the arm, hand, or paw
  • verb
  • /swaɪp/
: golpear
  • The peanut butter stuck to his palate, and he swiped at it impotently with his tongue.
  • swipe at the arm
  • side-swipe
  • swipe at a fly

Examples

  • Over and over, I swiped at him while he dodged around before me.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Even our cats caught frogs, sitting on flat rocks and swiping with their paws.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • As he turns to swipe it, you swipe the vase.

    Entrapment (1999)

  • And you can always flip your brush around, go back in with the yellow and again swipe at the edges.

  • I pick up a feather duster and swipe at the shelves.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • The windshield wipers swipe incessantly at the constant sheet of rain beyond.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Wanda playfully swipes at Wolf's face with a negligee she is returning to the closet.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • He swiped the ball out of the air with a swift motion.

  • In a playful gesture, she swiped at her brother's arm with her hand.

  • The cat swiped at the passing butterfly, trying to catch it.

Synonyms

to punch
vsto swipe
570 1.4

To hit someone or something quickly with a closed fist

uses a sweeping arm motion rather than a tight closed-fist blow
to strike
vsto swipe
508 2.4

To hit someone or something with force

is focused on a sweeping motion when making the blow
to slap
vsto swipe
472 1.0

Hit quickly with the flat part of the hand

uses a broader sweeping motion rather than a short flat hit
to swing
vsto swipe
256 1.5

Move the arm in a wide sweep to try to hit something

is an actual sweeping strike rather than only an attempted one
to sweep
vsto swipe
131 2.1

To move quickly and smoothly in a wide motion

adds the element of making a forceful contact while moving broadly
to flick
vsto swipe
78 2.3

To move something quickly with a finger or hand

involves a wider, stronger swinging movement rather than a light tap
to strike out
vsto swipe
19 4.1

Move suddenly toward someone to try to hit or kick them

uses a wide swinging motion rather than a sharp forward lunge
to swack
vsto swipe
  • Archaic
1 9.9

To hit someone or something hard

involves a sweeping or swinging motion not just a forceful hit
to swig
vsto swipe
  • Archaic
1 8.6

To hit something very hard with your fist or a bat

uses a broad swinging motion rather than focusing on sheer force

Antonyms

to miss
549 1.0

To fail to reach or hit something you aim for

How Forceful

to smash
278 2.1
to smack
183 3.5
to hit
∞ 1.0
to swipe
10 3.7
to tap
98 1.0
to brush
125 1.6

Surface Forms

swipe infinitive
swiped past
swiped past participle
swiping present participle
swipes third person singular

Etymology

Swipe is like the word sweep, which means 'to move in a long, sweeping line'. So to swipe something is to hit it with a quick, sweeping motion.