# swipe

> English word · Verb · IPA /swaɪp/ · frequency rank #13,434

## Definitions
1. To grab or bat quickly.
2. To strike with a strong blow in a sweeping motion.
3. To scan or register by sliding (a swipecard etc.) through a reader.
4. To interact with a touch screen by drawing one's finger rapidly across it.
5. To swipe right on (someone) on a dating application.
6. To steal or snatch.
7. To drink.

## Etymology
From earlier swip (with a short vowel), from Middle English swippen, swipen (“to move violently”), from Old English swipian, sweopian, swippan (“to scourge, strike, beat, lash”), from Proto-West Germanic *swippjan, *swipōn, *swipēn, from Proto-Germanic *swipōną, *swipjaną, *swipāną (“to move”), from Proto-Indo-European *sweyb- (“to bend, turn, swerve, sway, swing, sweep”). Cognate with German schwippen (“to whip”), Danish svippe (“to smack; crack a whip”), Icelandic svipa (“to whip; move swiftly”). Related to sweep, swoop.

## Easily confused with
- **Swiss** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/swipe-vs-swiss)
- **swore** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/swipe-vs-swore)
- **swirl** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/swipe-vs-swirl)
- **swish** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/swipe-vs-swish)
- **swivel** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/swipe-vs-swivel)
- **swipes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/swipe-vs-swipes)
- **sip** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sip-vs-swipe)
- **sie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sie-vs-swipe)
- **side** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/side-vs-swipe)
- **site** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/site-vs-swipe)
- **size** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/size-vs-swipe)
- **ship** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ship-vs-swipe)
- **slip** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/slip-vs-swipe)
- **skip** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/skip-vs-swipe)
- **swim** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/swim-vs-swipe)
- **swap** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/swap-vs-swipe)
- **sire** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sire-vs-swipe)
- **sine** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sine-vs-swipe)
- **snip** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snip-vs-swipe)
- **swig** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/swig-vs-swipe)

## Common misspellings (7)
`siwpe`, `sswipe`, `swiep`, `swippe`, `swpie`, `swwipe`, `wsipe`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/swipe