swipe

verb

1. (intransitive)To grab or bat quickly.

   “The cat swiped at the shoelace.”

2. (transitive)To strike with a strong blow in a sweeping motion.
3. (transitive)To scan or register by sliding (a swipecard etc.) through a reader.

   “He swiped his card at the door.”

4. (intransitive, transitive)To interact with a touch screen by drawing one's finger rapidly across it.

   “Swipe left to hide the toolbar.”

   “This is the iPhone lock screen with its default Earth wallpaper. To unlock your phone, swipe the slider from left to right.”

   “But really, she is just over it all: the swiping, the monotonous getting-to-know-you conversations and the self-doubt that creeps in when one of her matches fizzles.”

5. (informal, transitive)To swipe right on (someone) on a dating application.

   “Zac Efron needs a date. […] But would the actor resort to apps to find a partner? Joking, he said, “Amazingly, when I signed up for Tinder, nobody swiped me! They thought it was fake … That never happened.””

   “Yas (Vivian Oparah): That is your truth. And, by the way, your man swiped me on Tinder, like, a week ago. […] Eric (Benjamin Sarpong-Broni): Mmm, no, I didn't. I didn't swipe you. […] Or anybody. […] I didn't swipe her.”

6. (informal, transitive)To steal or snatch.

   “Hey! Who swiped my lunch?”

   ““From Miss Hemmingway. Miss Hemmingway! But—but how did they come into her possession?” “How?” I said. “Because she jolly well stole them. Pinched them! Swiped them! […]””

   “Maybe I could swipe some Tintex from the five-and-dime.”

7. (obsolete, slang)To drink.

noun

1. (countable)A quick grab, bat, or other motion with the hand or paw; a sweep.
2. (countable)A strong blow given with a sweeping motion, as with a bat or club.
3. (countable)An act of interacting with a touch screen by drawing the finger rapidly across it.

   “Some New Yorkers are moving beyond the swipe to venture into flirtatious panel discussions and speed dating sessions.”

4. (countable)An act of passing a swipecard through a card reader.

   “Owning a car in New York City is seen as a liability by many, especially when a quick Uber ride or the swipe of a MetroCard can easily get you where you need to go.”

5. (countable, informal)A rough guess; an estimate or swag.

   “Take a swipe at the answer, even if you're not sure.”

6. (countable, informal)An attack, insult or critical remark.

   “The politician took a swipe at his opponents.”

   “Biden‘s Twitter account then acknowledged the swipe, quote-tweeting Sanders shortly after the debate saying, “I’ve worked my whole life to overcome a stutter. And it’s my great honor to mentor kids who have experienced the same. It’s called empathy. Look it up.””

   “Harry took a swipe at the palace's response to a story published in 2020 suggesting the Sussexes were leaving the royal family because William had bullied them out.”

7. (uncountable)Poor, weak beer or other inferior alcoholic beverage; rotgut.

   “Woozy with swipe was the only way I could stay down with patience for work.”

   “JJ: Did a lot of people drink? KP: Down here, oh yeah, a lot of them made their own swipe, their own potato and pineapple swipe.”

   “Sung Wha knows it's pineapple swipe they are drinking. Hoping that they might sell him some of the stuff, he approaches them with the dollar bill out. One worker, sucking on a fat, wet stub of a cigar, waves off the offer and shakes his head: no we aren't selling the swipe, the swipe is for us to drink and enjoy.”

   “Only the nights—of sitting out in the moonlight drinking the horrible tasting swipe and talking, the thinking about women —remained unchanged.”