to swoop up
1
4.2
- phrasal verb
- /swup ʌp/
:
recoger
- She swooped up the fallen leaves with a wide motion of her arms.
And then institutions come in and they swoop up these loans.
- And then institutions come in and they swoop up these loans.
Examples
-
You think we can, uh, swoop up my homie first real quick?
-
As the bird swooped up its prey, it demonstrated impressive agility.
-
And then institutions come in and they swoop up these loans.
-
At her side, she pulled along the tank vacuum, which hummed tonelessly as it swooped up the dust.
Fiction book (1993) -
A woodpecker swooped up into the tree above Woodrow, hooked his claws into the rough bark, propped himself on his tail, and drilled himself a nice fat worm.
Fiction book (2001) -
The dog quickly swooped up the toy and brought it back to me.
Synonyms
834
1.0
To lift something or someone from the ground with your hands
127
1.9
To lift something using a deep curved tool or your hand
66
3.1
To move down quickly through the air to grab or catch something
65
1.6
Grab something quickly with a sudden motion
54
4.1
To jump suddenly onto something to grab or attack it
47
2.8
To lift or pick up something quickly with your hand
43
2.1
Bring things together by picking them up with your hands
Grab someone's handbag quickly and run away to steal it
Antonyms
How Quickly
54
4.1
136
3.0
1
4.2
∞
1.0
47
2.8
834
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The verb 'swoop' already encodes a quick downward motion to seize prey and, when combined with 'up', creates a clear image of seizing or picking something up quickly; a B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer this sense. This follows a common motion + particle composition (with the particle indicating retrieval/completion), so the overall meaning is directly derivable from the constituents.
Etymology
The phrasal verb swoop up comes from the picture of a bird that swoops down, grabs its food, and lifts it up in one fast move. That's why the phrase means 'to seize or pick up something quickly'.