Has your bike ever been SWIPED? How did it happen?
In the news recently, there’s been a MASSIVE increase in bikes being stolen in New York City. More and more people are riding their bikes, which is great for several reasons–it’s good for the environment, good for people’s health, good for the health of the city, etc.
Unfortunately, thieves are noticing the SURGE in bike use and SWIPING them LEFT AND RIGHT. 🙁
- MASSIVE – huge
- SURGE – increase
- SWIPE – steal
- LEFT and RIGHT – everywhere
I remember when my bike got SWIPED. This was more than twenty years ago. I was young and not so smart, and I locked the bike wheel to a post overnight. When I went to get my bike the next day, the wheel was still locked to the post, but the bike was gone. 😐 I definitely learned my lesson the hard way. 🙁
To SWIPE meaning to steal or to take something without asking is an informal word. Here are some examples of how this vocabulary is used.
- I can’t find my phone. I hope nobody SWIPED it.
- Matt denied stealing the money, but a few people saw him SWIPE it off the table.
- Lock your bikes, folks, or someone might SWIPE them.
GOOD TO KNOW: A common homonym of SWIPE meaning to steal is SWIPE meaning to pass a card through a machine. We use this word a lot these days. Here are some examples.
- In New York City, we SWIPE our metrocards to ride the subway.
- At the store, we SWIPE our credit or debit cards to pay for stuff.
- Do you SWIPE your ID card to enter your building?
That’s it for this quick vocabulary lesson. I hope you found it useful. If you did, why not share it with friends, family, and classmates! You can use the social media buttons below.
Until next time, folks! Keep practicing!
Joe
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