take a swipe at
idiom
1
informal
: to direct criticism or insults toward (a particular person or group)
She took a swipe at her former company in her latest column.
2
: to try to hit (someone or something) by moving something
The batter took a swipe at the ball and missed.
Examples of take a swipe at in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Bully Boy will continue to attack Phoebe, and sometimes other cats will see what’s going on and take a swipe at her, too.
—
Joan Morris, The Mercury News, 13 June 2024
After former Giant offensive lineman Nick Gates was benched in Washington this season, current GM Joe Schoen appeared to go out of his way to take a swipe at Gates and the Daily News’ reporting on how his time in New York had ended.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 19 Mar. 2024
When Carlson prodded Trump to take a swipe at his former Veep, who defied Trump on Jan. 6, refusing to unilaterally reject the election results, Trump didn’t exactly come out guns blazing.
—Eric Cortellessa, Time, 24 Aug. 2023
That move prompted Oregon coach Dan Lanning to take a swipe at Colorado earlier this week when asked for his reaction to it.
—Brent Schrotenboer, USA TODAY, 4 Aug. 2023
Cannes has been a bastion of the cinematic experience and Östlund used his time at the microphone on opening night to take a swipe at the new way of distributing entertainment.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 16 May 2023
In his remarks at VMI, which the college recorded, Brown seemed to take a swipe at Northam and Underwood while praising his boss.
—Ian Shapira, Washington Post, 29 Apr. 2023
Anthony Rendon wasn’t very talkative Saturday, two days after video surfaced of the Los Angeles Angels All-Star appearing to take a swipe at an Oakland fan after a 2-1 loss to the Athletics on Opening Day.
—Michael Wagaman, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Apr. 2023
Cannes has been a bastion of the cinematic experience and Östlund used his time at the microphone on opening night to take a swipe at the new way of distributing entertainment.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 16 May 2023
Joan Morris, The Mercury News, 13 June 2024
After former Giant offensive lineman Nick Gates was benched in Washington this season, current GM Joe Schoen appeared to go out of his way to take a swipe at Gates and the Daily News’ reporting on how his time in New York had ended.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 19 Mar. 2024
When Carlson prodded Trump to take a swipe at his former Veep, who defied Trump on Jan. 6, refusing to unilaterally reject the election results, Trump didn’t exactly come out guns blazing.
—Eric Cortellessa, Time, 24 Aug. 2023
That move prompted Oregon coach Dan Lanning to take a swipe at Colorado earlier this week when asked for his reaction to it.
—Brent Schrotenboer, USA TODAY, 4 Aug. 2023
Cannes has been a bastion of the cinematic experience and Östlund used his time at the microphone on opening night to take a swipe at the new way of distributing entertainment.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 16 May 2023
In his remarks at VMI, which the college recorded, Brown seemed to take a swipe at Northam and Underwood while praising his boss.
—Ian Shapira, Washington Post, 29 Apr. 2023
Anthony Rendon wasn’t very talkative Saturday, two days after video surfaced of the Los Angeles Angels All-Star appearing to take a swipe at an Oakland fan after a 2-1 loss to the Athletics on Opening Day.
—Michael Wagaman, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Apr. 2023
Cannes has been a bastion of the cinematic experience and Östlund used his time at the microphone on opening night to take a swipe at the new way of distributing entertainment.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 16 May 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'take a swipe at.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Take a swipe at.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20a%20swipe%20at. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
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