swoop

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swoop

(swo͞op)

v. swooped, swoop·ing, swoops

v.intr.

1. To move in a sudden sweep: The bird swooped down on its prey.

2. To make a rush or an attack with a sudden sweeping movement. Often used with down: The children swooped down on the pile of presents.

v.tr.

To seize or snatch in a sudden sweeping movement.

The act or an instance of swooping.

[Middle English swopen, to sweep along, from Old English swāpan, to sweep, swing.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

swoop

(swuːp)

1. (intr; usually foll by down, on, or upon) to sweep or pounce suddenly

2. (tr; often foll by up, away, or off) to seize or scoop suddenly

3. the act of swooping

4. a swift descent

[Old English swāpan to sweep; related to Old High German sweifan to swing around, Old Norse sveipa to throw]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

swoop

(swup)

v.i.

1. to sweep down through the air, as a bird upon prey.

2. to come down upon something in a sudden, swift attack (often fol. by down and on or upon): The army swooped down on the town.

v.t.

3. to take, lift, scoop up, or remove with or as if with one sweeping motion (often fol. by up, away, or off): He swooped her up in his arms.

4. an act or instance of swooping.

[1535–45; Middle English swopen, Old English swāpan to sweep¹]

swoop

Past participle: swooped
Gerund: swooping

Imperative
swoop
swoop

Present
I swoop
you swoop
he/she/it swoops
we swoop
you swoop
they swoop

Preterite
I swooped
you swooped
he/she/it swooped
we swooped
you swooped
they swooped

Present Continuous
I am swooping
you are swooping
he/she/it is swooping
we are swooping
you are swooping
they are swooping

Present Perfect
I have swooped
you have swooped
he/she/it has swooped
we have swooped
you have swooped
they have swooped

Past Continuous
I was swooping
you were swooping
he/she/it was swooping
we were swooping
you were swooping
they were swooping

Past Perfect
I had swooped
you had swooped
he/she/it had swooped
we had swooped
you had swooped
they had swooped

Future
I will swoop
you will swoop
he/she/it will swoop
we will swoop
you will swoop
they will swoop

Future Perfect
I will have swooped
you will have swooped
he/she/it will have swooped
we will have swooped
you will have swooped
they will have swooped

Future Continuous
I will be swooping
you will be swooping
he/she/it will be swooping
we will be swooping
you will be swooping
they will be swooping

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been swooping
you have been swooping
he/she/it has been swooping
we have been swooping
you have been swooping
they have been swooping

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been swooping
you will have been swooping
he/she/it will have been swooping
we will have been swooping
you will have been swooping
they will have been swooping

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been swooping
you had been swooping
he/she/it had been swooping
we had been swooping
you had been swooping
they had been swooping

Conditional
I would swoop
you would swoop
he/she/it would swoop
we would swoop
you would swoop
they would swoop

Past Conditional
I would have swooped
you would have swooped
he/she/it would have swooped
we would have swooped
you would have swooped
they would have swooped

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun	1.	swoop - (music) rapid sliding up or down the musical scale; "the violinist was indulgent with his swoops and slides" slide glissando - a rapid series of ascending or descending notes on the musical scale music - an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner
	2.	swoop - a very rapid raid foray, maraud, raid - a sudden short attack
	3.	swoop - a swift descent through the air descent - the act of changing your location in a downward direction
Verb	1.	swoop - move down on as if in an attack; "The raptor swooped down on its prey"; "The teacher swooped down upon the new students" pounce come down, descend, go down, fall - move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way; "The temperature is going down"; "The barometer is falling"; "The curtain fell on the diva"; "Her hand went up and then fell again" stoop - descend swiftly, as if on prey; "The eagle stooped on the mice in the field"
	2.	swoop - move with a sweep, or in a swooping arc move - move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion; "He moved his hand slightly to the right"
	3.	swoop - seize or catch with a swooping motion swoop up snatch, snatch up, snap - to grasp hastily or eagerly; "Before I could stop him the dog snatched the ham bone"

swoop

verb

1. pounce, attack, charge, rush, raid, descend, assail, make a raid The terror ended when armed police swooped on the car.

2. drop, plunge, dive, rush, sweep, descend, plummet, pounce, stoop, nosedive The hawk swooped and soared away carrying something.

noun

1. raid, attack, assault, surprise search a swoop on a German lorry

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

swoop

noun

The act of plunging suddenly downward into or as if into water:

dive, nosedive, plunge.

Informal: header.

Translations

إنْقِضاضيَنْقَض عَلى

střemhlavý letvrhnout se

nedslag

Herabstoßen Razzia

εφορμώ

descente

dÿfa, steypiflugsteypa sér niîur

attacco in un sol colpo incursione piombare

smigimassmigtivienu pradėjimu

mešanās virsū/lejupmesties virsū/lejup

plutselig angrep

strmhlavý let

üstüne çullanmaüstüne çullanmak

猛扑突袭

swoop

[swuːp]

A. N [of bird] → descenso m súbito; (by police) → redada f (on de) at one fell swoop → de un solo golpe

B. VI [bird] (also swoop down) → abatirse, lanzarse en picado (on sobre) [police] → hacer una redada (on en) the plane swooped low over the village → el avión se lanzó en picado y pasó en vuelo rasante sobre el pueblo
the police swooped on the club and arrested eight suspects → la policía hizo una redada en el club y detuvo a ocho sospechosos
he swooped on this mistake → se lanzó sobre este error

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

swoop

[ˈswuːp]

(by police, soldiers) → descente f
to make a swoop on sth → faire une descente sur qch

[bird, plane] → descente f en piqué, piqué m
The swallow made another dazzling swoop through the air → L'hirondelle fit un autre piqué vertigineux.

(= go) in one fell swoop, at one fell swoop → d'un seul coup d'un seul

(also swoop down) [bird, plane] → descendre en piqué, piquer

[police, troops] → faire une descente
to swoop on sth → faire une descente sur qch

swoop

vi (lit: also swoop down, bird) → herabstoßen, niederstoßen (→ on auf +acc); (plane) → einen Sturzflug machen; (fig, police) → einen Überraschungsangriff machen (→ on auf +acc) → or landen (inf) → (on bei); (person) → sich stürzen (→ on auf +acc); the plane swooped low over the village → das Flugzeug flog im Tiefflug über das Dorf hinweg; the police swooped on 8 suspects → die Polizei schlug überraschend bei 8 Verdächtigen zu; they’re just waiting to swoop → die lauern nur darauf zuzuschlagen

n (of bird, plane) → Sturzflug m; (by police) → Razzia f (→ on in +dat, → on sb bei jdm); to make a swoop (bird) → herabstoßen (→ on auf +acc); at or in one (fell) swoop → auf einen Schlag

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

swoop

[swuːp]

1. n (of bird) → picchiata; (by police) swoop (on) → incursione f (in)
in one fell swoop → in un colpo solo

2. vi (bird) (also swoop down) → scendere in picchiata; (police) to swoop (on) → fare un'incursione (in)
the plane swooped low over the village → l'aereo è sceso in picchiata sul villaggio

swoop

(swuːp) verb

to rush or fly downwards. The owl swooped down on its prey.

noun

an act of swooping.

at one fell swoop

all at the same time; in a single movement or action.

Mentioned in ?

References in classic literature ?

This warrior, who, in the figurative language of his people, was called "the Swooping Eagle," had been the last to abandon the hopes of victory.

The Swooping Eagle threw himself from the back of the horse, and assisted the other to alight.

View in context

This necessitated frequent tacks, so that, overhead, the mainsail was ever swooping across from port tack to starboard tack and back again, making air- noises like the swish of wings, sharply rat-tat-tatting its reef points and loudly crashing its mainsheet gear along the traveller.

Many times, in the course of the day, alertly and nonchalantly, almost with a quizzical knowingness, Jerry cocked his head at the mainsail when it made sudden swooping movements or slacked and tautened its crashing sheet-gear.

View in context

Like to an eagle swooping low, On pinions white as new fall'n snow.

View in context

Bert looked up and was filled with a sense of a number of monstrous bodies swooping down, coming down on the whole affair like a flight of bellying blankets, like a string of vast dish-covers.

Round they swooped once again over the Canadian Fall, over the waste of waters eastward, until they were distant and small, and then round and back, hurrying, bounding, swooping towards the one gaping spectator.

View in context

We had a barbecue recently and had to end it early because of the swooping birds.

SCARE MAIL; SWOOPING SEAGULLS TERRORISE POSTIES; Delivery men cower in vans as angry birds attack

We were two miles behind the line and one morning I told a few young signallers to keep their eyes on our observation balloons, which we called "sausages", and if they had not seen an aeroplane swooping down on a sausage and setting it on fire it was quite possible they would before midday.