Also: at one fell swoop
Meaning of Idiom ‘In One Fell Swoop’
When something happens in one fell swoop, it happens all at once, as the result of a single action; all at the same time; in one sudden action or one single occasion.
Want to see more videos from Idioms.Online? Subscribe to our YouTube channel!
Examples Of Use
“The tornado destroyed the house in one fell swoop.”
“The city was destroyed in one fell swoop.”
“We can’t solve all our problems at one fell swoop. It will take a lot of effort.”
“I like going to the warehouse club where I can do all my shopping in one fell swoop.”
Origin of Idiom
This idiom uses an old sense of the word fell, meaning fierce, savage, or cruel. The allusion is to a savage bird of prey swooping down and seizing its prey in its fierce talons.
Shakespeare uses the idiom in Macbeth when Macduff mourns the murder of his family by Macbeth:
“What! All my pretty chickens and their dam at one fell swoop!”
More Idioms Starting with O
More Fell Idioms
More One Idioms
- Go In One Ear and Out the Other
- Each And Every One (Every Last One, Every Single One)
- Back To Square One
More Swoop Idioms