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

In 2007, the Bay Bridge narrowly escaped major damage from a container ship that sideswiped a pier support, leaving a gash nearly 100 feet long in the side of the ship and breaching fuel tanks that set off a major oil spill. —Jenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2024

Daza was struck and killed on Interstate 80, near the Pinole Valley Road exit, after Cache sideswiped his car, authorities said. —Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2024

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