Home › Shopping & Consumer Retail › Point of Sale & Checkout › swipe

swipe

SWYEP /swaɪp/

verbnounB1

general

To pass (a credit card or other item with a magnetic strip) through an electronic reader; or, a sweeping movement.

Specifically refers to the action of moving a card quickly through a slot to read its magnetic strip. Also used for a quick, forceful blow or a gesture on a touchscreen.

The story behind the word. The word 'swipe' has Germanic origins, related to the Old English 'swapan', meaning 'to sweep'. It originally described a sweeping motion or a forceful blow. Its application to card transactions is a more modern usage, reflecting the quick, sweeping motion required to read a magnetic strip.

Word relationships

flick: A quick, light movement, often with a finger.
brush: A light, gentle touch or movement.

insert: To put something into something else, typically a slot.

Commonly confused with

insert: 'Swipe' is a quick pass over a reader; 'insert' is placing a card into a slot and leaving it there briefly.

Collocations

swipe card
swipe right/left
swipe a credit card
give a swipe

Idioms & expressions

swipe right/left (dating apps)

Example sentences

"Please swipe your card through the machine on the side." Paying with an older credit card.
"You can swipe left to dismiss notifications on your phone." Using a smartphone.
"The cashier asked the customer to swipe her loyalty card before paying." A common instruction at checkout.

Memory hook

Imagine a SWIPE of a broom, a quick, sweeping motion, just like you SWIPE a card. Quick pass

When not to use

Do not use 'swipe' for inserting a card into a chip reader; 'insert' is the correct term for that action.

Fun facts

Magnetic stripe cards, which require swiping, were developed in the 1960s by IBM.