1
- no obj., with adverbial of direction(especially of a bird) move rapidly downwards through the air（尤指鸟）猛扑, 俯冲：
the barn owl can swoop down on a mouse in total darkness
仓鸮在漆黑的夜里能对准老鼠猛扑下来
the aircraft swooped in to land.
飞机向下俯冲降落。
1.1
- carry out a sudden attack, especially in order to make a capture or arrest（尤指为了抓捕而）突袭：
armed police swooped on a flat after a tip-off.
武装警察在得到密报之后突袭了一所公寓。
2
- with obj. informal seize with a sweeping motion〈非正式〉猛地抓起; 攫取：
she swooped up the hen in her arms.
她猛地抓起那只母鸡夹在腋下。
- a swooping or snatching movement or action飞扑; 攫取; 突袭：
four members were arrested following a swoop by detectives on their homes.
四名成员在侦探的一次突袭行动中在家中被捕。
短语
at（或in）one fell swoop
- 见FELL4.
词源
mid 16th cent. （in the sense 'sweep along in a stately manner'）： perhaps a dialect variant of Old English swāpan （see SWEEP）. The early sense of the noun was 'a blow, stroke'.