Swiping

Swiping is the act of sliding something, typically a finger on a touch screen or a card through a reader. In digital contexts, it describes a gesture used to trigger actions or navigate content. In everyday language, "swipe" can also mean to steal something quickly.

On mobile devices, swipe gestures involve horizontal or vertical sliding to switch between screens, scroll galleries, delete items, or reveal contextual menus. Interfaces may require deliberate speed or distance, and some apps distinguish between light swipes and longer strokes to access different functions.

In dating and social apps, swiping refers to the profile-browsing mechanic in which users swipe right to indicate interest and left to pass. Matches occur when both parties swipe right. Variants include mutual likes, super likes, and prompts to engage users.

In retail and payments, "swipe" traditionally means reading a card's magnetic stripe as it passes through a card reader. With the rise of chip-and-PIN and contactless payments, mag-stripe swipes are used less frequently, though the term remains common. The practice is associated with fraud risks such as card skimming.

In informal speech, to swipe something means to steal it, for example a wallet or a phone. This usage is common across many varieties of English and is considered a petty crime when it occurs in public settings.