swipe
verb /swaɪp/
/swaɪp/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they swipe | /swaɪp/ /swaɪp/ |
| he / she / it swipes | /swaɪps/ /swaɪps/ |
| past simple swiped | /swaɪpt/ /swaɪpt/ |
| past participle swiped | /swaɪpt/ /swaɪpt/ |
| -ing form swiping | /ˈswaɪpɪŋ/ /ˈswaɪpɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive, transitive] swipe (at) somebody/something to hit or try to hit somebody/something with your hand or an object by moving your arm with a wide, curved movement
- He swiped at the ball and missed.
- [transitive] swipe something (informal) to steal something synonym pinch
- They’re always swiping other kids’ sweets.
- [transitive] swipe something to pass a plastic card, such as a credit card, through a special machine that is able to read the information that is stored on it
- The cash register only opens once the card has been swiped.
- [intransitive, transitive] swipe (something) (on/across something) to move your finger quickly across the screen of an electronic device such as a mobile phone or small computer in order to move text, pictures, etc. or give commands
- Switch on the phone and swipe your finger across the screen to unlock it.
Word Originmid 18th cent.: perhaps a variant of sweep.