side·swipe
ˈsīd-ˌswīp 
sideswiped; sideswiping; sideswipes
: to strike with a glancing blow along the side
sideswiped a parked car
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
Clifford Ward, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2025
The road was reopened at 8:50 p.m. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, at approximately 10 a.m., a gasoline tanker traveling westbound on 595, east of SW 136th Avenue, sideswiped a disabled and unoccupied Broward County Transit bus parked on the left shoulder.
—Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 25 May 2025
Bestreviews, Mercury News, 16 May 2025
According to Indiana State Police, the Penske truck's driver was not in the correct lane causing the driver of a coal truck to move onto the emergency shoulder to avoid a sideswipe crash.
—Jade Jackson, The Indianapolis Star, 27 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for sideswipe
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Verb
The vehicle then sideswiped a Ford Focus, sending the vehicle into a utility pole.
—Clifford Ward, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2025
The road was reopened at 8:50 p.m. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, at approximately 10 a.m., a gasoline tanker traveling westbound on 595, east of SW 136th Avenue, sideswiped a disabled and unoccupied Broward County Transit bus parked on the left shoulder.
—Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 25 May 2025
Noun
Look for a toddler ride-on toy made with heavy enough plastic to be long-lasting and to stand up to frequent bumps and sideswipes.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 16 May 2025
According to Indiana State Police, the Penske truck's driver was not in the correct lane causing the driver of a coal truck to move onto the emergency shoulder to avoid a sideswipe crash.
—Jade Jackson, The Indianapolis Star, 27 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for sideswipe
Cite this Entry
“Sideswipe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sideswipe. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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 noun1
: 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
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