From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishswoopswoop1 /swuːp/ verb [intransitive] 1 HBBTTAif a bird or aircraft swoops, it moves suddenly down through the air, especially in order to attack something The eagle hovered, ready to swoop at any moment.swoop down/over/across etc A helicopter suddenly swooped down.2 ATTACK written if the police, army etc swoop on a place, they go there without any warning in order to look for someone or somethingswoop on Drug officers swooped on several addresses in London last night.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
swoop• A raven swooped down from its perch in the rafters and dived at the wizard, talons open and gleaming.• As soon as the adventurers stop moving, the Harpies will swoop down from their roosts in the rock.• This moment seemed to have swooped down on him from nowhere.• It harasses other gulls until they drop their hard-won food and then swoops down to catch it - often in mid-air.• Purdue swooped in and got it instead, and will sit atop the West bracket.• A raven flaps aimlessly across the scene, and white-throated swifts swoop past in violent arcs.• Rather, the carrier frequency swoops up or down about an octave.swoop down/over/across etc• O-U-out... goose swoops down and plucks you out.• Nevertheless, Ellen swooped down and removed it, and Otis began screaming at her, as she expected him to.• She had seen them on their expensive horses, swooping across country, confident in the saddle.• Garnett comes swooping down from somewhere out of the West Maui Mountains to reject the shot.• As soon as the adventurers stop moving, the Harpies will swoop down from their roosts in the rock.• Wagtails swooped across my path, and from the mouth of the Eske, curlews called shrilly to one another like owls.• Two days later, for the first time in 10 years, a few murres swooped down on the rock.• It harasses other gulls until they drop their hard-won food and then swoops down to catch it - often in mid-air.swoopswoop2 noun [countable] 1 ATTACKa sudden surprise attack on a place in order to get something or take people away – used especially in news reportsswoop on Police arrested a man in a swoop on his house last night.2 MOVE/CHANGE POSITIONa swooping movement or action → at/in one fell swoop at fell4Examples from the Corpus
swoop• The invisible flutter and swoop of black creatures, still furious with the woman who had once banished them.• Despite the drop-off, analysts said they were encouraged by the elimination of the securities in one fell swoop.• Early morning swoop ... police raid a house in Kirkdale today.• In one swoop the feeling swallowed her up and she had never got rid of it since.• She also referred to the police swoops on illegal sites that are regularly organised by the local authorities.Origin swoop (1500-1600) swope “to sweep” ((11-19 centuries)), from Old English swapan; → SWEEP1 