sweep up

phrasal verb

swept up; sweeping up; sweeps up
1
: to remove dust, dirt, etc., from (something) by using a broom or brush
When I was sweeping up, I found an earring that I had lost.
Can you please sweep up the porch?
2
: to remove (something, such as dust, dirt, etc.) from a surface by using a broom or brush
She swept up the broken glass.
3
: to pick up (someone or something) in one quick, continuous motion
She swept the baby up and carried her to the crib.
4
: to brush or pull (hair) away from the face
usually used as be swept up
Her hair was swept up in a bun.

Examples of sweep up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Instead, the two men appear to have been swept up in Nigeria's broad actions to ban cryptocurrency exchanges amid a drastic devaluation of the country's national currency, according to the Financial Times, which was first to report the two executives' detention without identifying them. Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 12 Mar. 2024 Bayern’s approach for much of this century has been to sweep up the best talent from its domestic rivals and turn itself, in effect, into a Bundesliga all-star side. Rory Smith, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2024 Nvidia shares have been on a tear since 2023, when investors swept up in AI hype bought up shares of Big Tech stocks, spurring a bull market against a backdrop of sky-high interest rates and leading the S&P 500 index to jump 24% last year. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 15 Feb. 2024 India’s startup scene is grappling with the company’s fall from grace and contemplating how it got so swept up by the charms of a tutor-turned-entrepreneur. Pallavi Pundir, Fortune Asia, 1 Mar. 2024 Stone's hair was swept up into a twist by her longtime hairstylist Mara Roszak. Lindy Segal, Glamour, 25 Feb. 2024 Swennen had originally planned for Wong—who has been sweeping up awards all season for her starring role in Beef—to wear the dress to the Golden Globes or the Emmys. Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 24 Feb. 2024 Swiftly, Hajji Hotak’s sons collected our plates and swept up the dastarkhan and distributed thermoses. Jamil Jan Kochai, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024 But in some states like North Carolina, the issue has been swept up into larger political debates about parents’ input on curriculum and the rights of transgender students. Michael Elsen-Rooney, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sweep up.' 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 up

Cite this Entry

“Sweep up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sweep%20up. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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