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
Caelyn Pender, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2025
Georgia Bulldogs football head coach Kirby Smart sideswiped Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Johnny Manziel during a recent coaching clinic.
—Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 25 Feb. 2025
Jade Jackson, The Indianapolis Star, 27 Dec. 2024
The head-on crash caused a silver Toyota Camry behind the Jeep to be involved in a minor sideswipe, the California Highway Patrol said in a statement to FOX San Francisco.
—Louis Casiano, Fox News, 14 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for sideswipe
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
The driver sideswiped a 2015 blue Ford coupe driven by an adult man before crossing the median into oncoming traffic and colliding head-on with a 2024 gray Hyundai sedan driven by a solo female driver.
—Caelyn Pender, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2025
Georgia Bulldogs football head coach Kirby Smart sideswiped Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Johnny Manziel during a recent coaching clinic.
—Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 25 Feb. 2025
Noun
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
The head-on crash caused a silver Toyota Camry behind the Jeep to be involved in a minor sideswipe, the California Highway Patrol said in a statement to FOX San Francisco.
—Louis Casiano, Fox News, 14 May 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 20 Mar. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share