sideswipe

1 of 2

verb

side·​swipe ˈsīd-ˌswīp 

sideswiped; sideswiping; sideswipes

transitive verb

: to strike with a glancing blow along the side

sideswiped a parked car

sideswipe

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: the action of sideswiping

b

: an instance of sideswiping : a glancing blow

2

: an incidental deprecatory remark, allusion, or reference

Examples of sideswipe in a Sentence

Verb

The taxi sideswiped a parked car.

Noun

She took a sideswipe at the senator's voting record.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The injury sideswiped a breakout season, one that put the former high school quarterback in line to be Notre Dame’s next great at a position where it’s had many. —Pete Sampson, The Athletic, 6 Aug. 2024

Side bicycle detection: Side radars identify objects moving parallel to the vehicle to prevent drivers from merging into or sideswiping cyclists by showing an amber-colored icon in the side mirrors. —Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, 13 Nov. 2024

Noun

The head-on crash caused a silver Toyota Camry behind the Jeep to be involved in a minor sideswipe, the California Highway Patrol said in a statement to FOX San Francisco. —Louis Casiano, Fox News, 14 May 2024

That's how dolphins B (collected in the 1980s in the Gulf of Mexico) and T captured their fish in the seawater pool, using a sideswipe motion of the head. —Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 1 Jan. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1891, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1857, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

sideswipe

1 of 2 verb

side·​swipe -ˌswīp 

: to hit along the side with a blow that bounces off at an angle

sideswiped a parked car

sideswipe

2 of 2 noun

1

: an instance of sideswiping : a blow from an angle that bounces off

2

: an indirectly related disapproving remark, allusion, or reference

a sideswipe at the senator's voting record