ENGLISH
REFERENCE

swipe

v.
B1 Intermediate US //ˈswaɪp// UK //swˈaɪp// swipe Archaic Informal Slang

v. to move your finger across a touchscreen to see more content or unlock a phone. You also use this word when you slide a plastic card through a machine to pay for something.

v. to move a finger across a touch-sensitive screen to scroll through data or trigger a command; also, to pass a magnetic stripe card through a reader.


SIMPLE

You need to swipe left to see the next photo.

CONTEXTUAL

The app allows users to swipe through potential matches or dismiss them with a quick flick of the thumb.

COMPLEX

Modern interface design relies heavily on the ability to swipe between different panels, creating a seamless experience that mimics physical movement.

Synonyms
Origin

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.

Usage

The verb is transitive when referring to the screen or card, but can be intransitive when describing the general motion.

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