to whisk by
- phrasal verb
- /wɪsk baɪ/
- "She whisked by me without a look, then back again a minute later with a couple of mugs in one hand and a carton of milk in the other.
- whisked away
- whisked by helicopter
- whisked away by security
Examples
-
And suddenly they're gone, whisked away by the boat.
Fiction book (1997) -
She whisked right by and thundered down the main stairwell.
Fiction book (1999) -
Alex whisked by her and headed to the shower.
Fiction book (1995) -
I'm whisked from the scene by ambulance and then by airplane, though barely injured.
Blog text (22) -
My kids have been hugged, loved, and practically whisked away by folks who appreciate their smiles.
Blog text (15) -
Two days after the murder, both were whisked into hiding by police because of imminent threats of assassination.
Blog text (5) -
Everything was going well until one day, the day Link became a true knight, Zelda was whisked away by a giant storm cloud.
Blog text (2) -
The "monsters," as some called them, were then whisked by a fleet of waiting limousines to the Plaza Hotel in midtown Manhattan.
Fiction book (1998) -
I edged as close as I could and overheard him say the words "voter suppression" and smile knowingly before he was whisked away by an aide.
Blog text (18) -
As I rode in the car, the trees whisked by, creating a beautiful scene outside the window.
Synonyms
Go past someone or something without stopping
To pass close to a person or place while moving quickly on foot
To move someone or something quickly and lightly
To move past something while in the air
Move past someone to go in front
To move quickly past someone or let a chance go by without acting
To go past quickly without anyone noticing, as with time or chances
To move past a person or thing very close without stopping
To pass very quickly, as when a car goes by or time moves fast
To move quickly in one direction
To move very fast, often making a soft rushing sound like a car or train
Antonyms
How Fast
Surface Forms
Morphology
The verb 'whisk' conveys quick, light movement and 'by' denotes passing past, so the sense 'move past quickly and smoothly' is largely derivable from the parts. However, 'whisk' often appears in literal sweeping contexts (sweeping something away), so the extension to intransitive motion past someone may not be fully obvious to a B1 learner without exposure, making the expression only partially transparent.
Etymology
The verb whisk by comes from the image of a quick, smooth sweep, like a kitchen whisk or a gust of wind that makes things move past you, and the word by shows moving past. So, it means 'to move past someone or something very quickly and smoothly'.