Illustration of sweep
- sweep 1a
swept
ˈswept 
; sweeping
; sweeping
1
a
: to remove from a surface with or as if with a broom or brush
swept the crumbs from the table
b
: to destroy completely : wipe out
—usually used with away
everything she cherished, might be swept away overnight—
Louis Bromfield
Louis Bromfield
c
: to remove or take with a single continuous forceful action
swept the books off the desk
d
: to remove from sight or consideration
the problem can't be swept under the rug
e
: to drive or carry along with irresistible force
a wave of protest that swept the opposition into office
2
a
: to clean with or as if with a broom or brush
b
: to clear by repeated and forcible action
c
: to move across or along swiftly, violently, or overwhelmingly
fire swept the business district—Amer. Guide Series: Md.
Amer. Guide Series: Md.
d
: to win an overwhelming victory in or on
sweep the elections
e
: to win all the games or contests of
sweep a double-header
sweep a series
3
: to touch in passing with a swift continuous movement
4
: to trace or describe the locus or extent of (something, such as a line, circle, or angle)
5
: to cover the entire range of
his eyes swept the horizon
1
a
: to clean a surface with or as if with a broom
b
: to move swiftly, forcefully, or devastatingly
the wind swept through the treetops
2
: to go with stately or sweeping movements
proudly swept into the room
3
: to move or extend in a wide curve or range
1
2
a
: an instance of sweeping
especially
: a clearing out or away with or as if with a broom
b
: the removal from the table in one play in casino of all the cards by pairing or combining
c
: an overwhelming victory
d
: a winning of all the contests or prizes in a competition
e
: a wide-ranging search of an area (as by police)
3
a
: a movement of great range and force
b
: a curving or circular course or line
c
: the compass of a sweeping movement : scope
d
: a broad unbroken area or extent
a sweep of wildflowers
e
: an end run in football in which one or more linemen pull back and run interference for the ballcarrier
4
5
6
: obliquity with respect to a reference line
sweep of an airplane wing
especially
: sweepback
7
sweeps plural
: a television ratings period during which surveys are taken to determine advertising rates
Synonyms
Examples of sweep in a Sentence
Verb
He swept the dirt off the driveway.
He swept the crumbs from the table.
I need to sweep the kitchen.
Are you finished sweeping the porch?
A storm swept across the plains.
Fires swept through the forest.
She proudly swept into the room.
The limo swept up to the door.
He swept the curtains aside.
She swept the books off the desk.
Noun
Mrs. Griswold has been a teacher for so long that the sweep of her influence extends across three generations of the townspeople.
Recent Examples on the WebStar-Telegram Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Apr. 2024
In March 2021, the body of 17-year-old Kevin Josue Flores Rodriguez was recovered more than a week after his canoe capsized and swept over the Emrichsville Dam.
—Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 17 Apr. 2024
Tesla stock continued its months-long descent on Tuesday after the mass layoffs swept through the company’s operations in Texas and executives resigned.
—William Gavin, Quartz, 16 Apr. 2024
About the same time the Milwaukee Brewers opened the 2024 season by sweeping the New York Mets, the Pogorelc sisters of Whitefish Bay were taking over New York's Metropolitan Opera.
—Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 15 Apr. 2024
Human nature will inevitably rear its head, and incentives are set up so that a lot of bad behavior is swept under the rug in the name of increasing profit and productivity.
—Christine Shen, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2024
The vessel features long, sleek lines that sweep from bow to stern, creating a powerful and dynamic silhouette.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 15 Apr. 2024
Sunday afternoon, strong to severe storms are expected to flare up along a cold front that will sweep across the Great Lakes and into the Northeast.
—Daniel Amarante, ABC News, 13 Apr. 2024
Sacramento is now just a half-game ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers for ninth, although the Kings hold the tiebreaker after sweeping the season series against their Southern California rivals.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 5 Apr. 2024
Glae Thien, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2024
Arkansas will go for a sweep in the two-game series today at 1 p.m., with the first-pitch time moved up from 3 p.m. due to potential weather concerns.
—Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 10 Apr. 2024
The win prevented a series sweep before a crowd of 25,558 and completed a 3-3 homestand, with the Giants (5-8) taking Thursday off in Florida before three-game sets against Tampa Bay and Miami.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
But the stakes are higher for anyone who watched Monday’s solar eclipse sweep across North America.
—Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
But which of the many, many panels, sweeps, puzzles, and quizzes rank among the best of the best?
—Tanner Stransky, EW.com, 8 Apr. 2024
Jose Siri and Richie Palacios each homered for Tampa Bay, which managed five hits and lost its sixth straight to Texas, including a two-game sweep in the wild-card round last season.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Apr. 2024
This device offers 12,000 sonic vibrations per minute, has unique gum sweeps, and is easy to use.
—Daley Quinn, Verywell Health, 1 Apr. 2024
Rylee McCoy of Oaks Christian went six for six in a doubleheader sweep of Oxnard.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Verb
Flash flooding currents are strong and can sweep drivers off roadways.
—Star-Telegram Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Apr. 2024
In March 2021, the body of 17-year-old Kevin Josue Flores Rodriguez was recovered more than a week after his canoe capsized and swept over the Emrichsville Dam.
—Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 17 Apr. 2024
Tesla stock continued its months-long descent on Tuesday after the mass layoffs swept through the company’s operations in Texas and executives resigned.
—William Gavin, Quartz, 16 Apr. 2024
About the same time the Milwaukee Brewers opened the 2024 season by sweeping the New York Mets, the Pogorelc sisters of Whitefish Bay were taking over New York's Metropolitan Opera.
—Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 15 Apr. 2024
Human nature will inevitably rear its head, and incentives are set up so that a lot of bad behavior is swept under the rug in the name of increasing profit and productivity.
—Christine Shen, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2024
The vessel features long, sleek lines that sweep from bow to stern, creating a powerful and dynamic silhouette.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 15 Apr. 2024
Sunday afternoon, strong to severe storms are expected to flare up along a cold front that will sweep across the Great Lakes and into the Northeast.
—Daniel Amarante, ABC News, 13 Apr. 2024
Sacramento is now just a half-game ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers for ninth, although the Kings hold the tiebreaker after sweeping the season series against their Southern California rivals.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 5 Apr. 2024
Noun
Plus, there’s the love of water that has Brotman on the verge of a career sweep of double wins in the CIF San Diego Section girls swimming championships.
—Glae Thien, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2024
Arkansas will go for a sweep in the two-game series today at 1 p.m., with the first-pitch time moved up from 3 p.m. due to potential weather concerns.
—Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 10 Apr. 2024
The win prevented a series sweep before a crowd of 25,558 and completed a 3-3 homestand, with the Giants (5-8) taking Thursday off in Florida before three-game sets against Tampa Bay and Miami.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
But the stakes are higher for anyone who watched Monday’s solar eclipse sweep across North America.
—Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
But which of the many, many panels, sweeps, puzzles, and quizzes rank among the best of the best?
—Tanner Stransky, EW.com, 8 Apr. 2024
Jose Siri and Richie Palacios each homered for Tampa Bay, which managed five hits and lost its sixth straight to Texas, including a two-game sweep in the wild-card round last season.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Apr. 2024
This device offers 12,000 sonic vibrations per minute, has unique gum sweeps, and is easy to use.
—Daley Quinn, Verywell Health, 1 Apr. 2024
Rylee McCoy of Oaks Christian went six for six in a doubleheader sweep of Oxnard.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sweep.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near sweep
Cite this Entry
“Sweep.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sweep. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sweep
1 of 2 verb
swept
ˈswept
; sweeping
; sweeping
1
a
: to remove from a surface with or as if with a broom or brush
sweep the dirt off the rug
b
: to remove or take with a single continuous forceful action
swept the books off the desk
c
: to drive or carry along with great force
2
a
: to clean with or as if with a broom or brush
sweep the floor
b
: to move across or along swiftly, violently, or overwhelmingly
a storm swept across the plains
c
: to win all of
the presidential candidate swept the western states
3
: to move with stately or sweeping movements
swept into the room
4
: to move or extend in a wide curve or range
sweeper
noun
sweep
2 of 2 noun1
: a long movable pole on a post that is used to raise and lower a bucket (as in a well)
2
a
: an act or instance of sweeping
b
: a decisive victory
c
: a winning of all the contests
3
a
: a movement of great range and force
b
: a curving or circular course or line
c
: range entry 1 sense 6a, scope
outside the sweep of our vision
4
5
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