MEANING
1. To move rapidly downward through the air, often in a curved course.
2. To act or arrive suddenly to seize an opportunity or take control.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- swoop over water
- swoop toward the ground
On the page
The bird swooped toward the water and rose with a silver fish.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- swoop
- Past tense
- swooped
- Past participle
- swooped
- Present participle
- swooping
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- swoop
- Present continuous
- am/is/are swooping
- Present perfect
- have/has swooped
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been swooping
- Past
- swooped
- Past continuous
- was/were swooping
- Past perfect
- had swooped
- Past perfect continuous
- had been swooping
- Future
- will swoop
- Future continuous
- will be swooping
- Future perfect
- will have swooped
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been swooping
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: swoop; swoops; swooped; swooped; swooping Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: swoops.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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