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swipe

Etymology and origin of the English word swipe

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /swaɪp/[1]

Etymology

It is perhaps a variant of sweep,[2][3][4][5] partly from obsolete swip “a stroke, blow”,[3][4] related to Old English swipu “stick, whip”.[3][4] Etymonline and Barnhart also mention obsolete swope “to sweep” and swape “oar, pole” as possible influences.[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

As a noun, a heavy blow, a driving stroke made with the arms at full swing (before 1807; 1739 in Merriam-Webster).[3][4][6][5]

Semantic evolution

The verb, to strike with a sweeping blow, is recorded from 1825, at first in Scotland,[3][4][6] and to drink down hastily from 1829.[4][6] The slang sense to steal is from 1885–89, originally American,[3][4][6] and the sense to pass a card through a reader from 1985–86.[4][6] Later the word was used for drawing a finger across a touch screen.[1] The noun has also meant a critical remark.[2][5][7]

Timeline

  • 1739 – noun, a sweeping blow (Merriam-Webster).[5]
  • before 1807 – noun, a heavy blow.[3][6]
  • 1825 – verb, to strike with a sweeping blow.[3][4][6]
  • 1829 – verb, to drink hastily.[4][6]
  • 1889 – verb, to steal.[3][6]
  • 1986 – verb, to pass a card through a reader.[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A sweeping blow or stroke.
  2. A sharp, critical remark; a dig.
  3. A lever for raising a weight, especially the bucket of a well.
  4. An act of drawing a finger across a touch screen, or of passing a card through a reader.

Verb

  1. To hit or wipe with a sweeping motion.
  2. (informal) To steal; to filch.
  3. To slide a card with a magnetic strip through a reader.
  4. To draw a finger quickly across a touch screen.

Word family

  • sideswipe
  • sweep
  • swoop

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
Cite this entry

“Swipe.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/swipe. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·