WordLens

swoop

1 of 2verb
/swup/
Forms:swoops,swooping,swooped,swooped
1

to move quickly and suddenly downward through the air

  • The eagle swoops down to catch its prey.
  • A hawk swooped over the field in search of food.
  • From the treetops, the owl swooped silently, barely making a sound.
  • A flock of birds suddenly swooped across the lake, startling the fish below.
  • With incredible speed, the eagle swooped down, catching a rabbit in its sharp talons.
2

to quickly and unexpectedly attack a group or place to surround and capture them

transitive
  • Law enforcement agencies coordinated a series of raids, swooping on suspected drug traffickers across the city.
  • Intelligence agencies executed a covert operation, swooping on a known terrorist cell.
  • Government forces launched a surprise attack, swooping on a rebel hideout deep in the jungle
  • A cybersecurity team swiftly swooped on hackers attempting to breach the network
Synonyms:
3

to give someone a ride or to pick someone up in a vehicle

  • Since your car's in the shop, I'll swoop in 10.
  • He swooped me to the airport this morning.
  • Can you swoop by and pick me up after work?
  • She swooped over to grab her friend from the party.
  • They swooped in with their SUV to save us from the rain.