swoop

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. v. To move in a sudden sweep: The bird swooped down on its prey.
2. v. To make a rush or an attack with or as if with a sudden sweeping movement. Often used with down: The children swooped down on the pile of presents.
3. v. To seize or snatch in or as if in a sudden sweeping movement.
4. n. The act or an instance of swooping.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. To move along with a rush; sweep; pass with pomp.
2. To descend upon, or as if upon, prey suddenly from a height, as a hawk; stoop.
3. To fall on at once and seize; dash upon and seize while on the wing: often with up: as, a hawk swoops a chicken; a kite swoops up a mouse.
4. To seize; catch up; take with a sweep.
5. n. The sudden pouncing of a rapacious bird on its prey; a falling on and seizing, as of a bird on its prey; hence, a sudden descent, as of a body of troops; a sweeping movement.

Wiktionary

1. v. to fly or glide downwards suddenly; to plunge (in the air) or nosedive
2. v. to move swiftly, as if with a sweeping movement, especially to attack something
3. n. an instance, or the act of suddenly plunging downward
4. n. an act of rushedly doing something
5. n. passing quickly from one note to the next

GNU Webster's 1913

1. v. To fall on at once and seize; to catch while on the wing.
2. v. To seize; to catch up; to take with a sweep.
3. v. To descend with closed wings from a height upon prey, as a hawk; to stoop.
4. v. To pass with pomp; to sweep.
5. n. A falling on and seizing, as the prey of a rapacious bird; the act of swooping.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. a swift descent through the air
2. n. a very rapid raid
3. n. (music) rapid sliding up or down the musical scale
4. v. move down on as if in an attack
5. v. seize or catch with a swooping motion
6. v. move with a sweep, or in a swooping arc