swoop

swoop
    n 1: (music) rapid sliding up or down the musical scale; "the
         violinist was indulgent with his swoops and slides" [syn:
         {swoop}, {slide}]
    2: a very rapid raid
    3: a swift descent through the air
    v 1: move down on as if in an attack; "The raptor swooped down
         on its prey"; "The teacher swooped down upon the new
         students" [syn: {pounce}, {swoop}]
    2: move with a sweep, or in a swooping arc
    3: seize or catch with a swooping motion [syn: {swoop}, {swoop
       up}]
    

Swoop \Swoop\, v. i.
   1. To descend with closed wings from a height upon prey, as a
      hawk; to stoop.
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   2. To pass with pomp; to sweep. [Obs.] --Drayton.
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Swoop \Swoop\, n.
   A falling on and seizing, as the prey of a rapacious bird;
   the act of swooping.
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         The eagle fell, . . . and carried away a whole litter
         of cubs at a swoop.                      --L'Estrange.
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Swoop \Swoop\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Swooped}; p. pr. & vb. n.
   {Swooping}.] [OE. swopen, usually, to sweep, As. sw[=a]pan to
   sweep, to rush; akin to G. schweifen to rove, to ramble, to
   curve, OHG. sweifan to whirl, Icel. sveipa to sweep; also to
   AS. sw[imac]fan to move quickly. Cf. {Sweep}, {Swift}, a. &
   n., {Swipe}, {Swivel}.]
   1. To fall on at once and seize; to catch while on the wing;
      as, a hawk swoops a chicken.
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   2. To seize; to catch up; to take with a sweep.
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            And now at last you came to swoop it all. --Dryden.
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            The grazing ox which swoops it [the medicinal herb]
            in with the common grass.             --Glanvill.
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86 Moby Thesaurus words for "swoop":
      belly buster, belly flop, belly whopper, blow, cannonball, cascade,
      cataract, chute, collapse, come down, comedown, crash, crash dive,
      debacle, declension, declination, defluxion, descend, descending,
      descension, descent, dip down, dive, down, downbend, downcome,
      downcurve, downfall, downflow, downgrade, downpour, downrush,
      downtrend, downturn, downward trend, drop, drop down, drop off,
      dropping, fall, fall down, fall off, falling, gainer, go down,
      go downhill, gravitate, gravitation, header, inclination,
      jackknife, lose altitude, nose dive, nose-dive, parachute,
      parachute jump, pitch, plop, plummet, plummeting, plump, plunge,
      plunk, pounce, pounce on, pounce upon, pour down, power dive,
      precipitate, rain, rapids, running dive, rush, skin-dive, sky dive,
      sky-dive, sound, stationary dive, stoop, stroke, swan dive, sweep,
      swoop down, take a header, trend downward, waterfall