sweep

verb \ ˈswēp \

|Updated on: 13 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: sweep in a Sentence

Definition of sweep

swept play \ˈswept\; sweeping

transitive verb

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

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.

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

intransitive verb

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

— sweep one off one's feet

: to gain immediate and unquestioning support, approval, or acceptance by a person

— sweep the board or sweep the table

1 : to win all the bets on the table

2 : to win everything : beat all competitors

See sweep defined for English-language learners

See sweep defined for kids

Examples of sweep in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of sweep from the Web

Located on a sweeping bank where the River Tay flows into the North Sea, Dundee is a curious little town that balances its post-industrial history with a buzzing design scene.

— todd plummer, Vogue, "A Guide to Dundee, Scotland—the First City Outside London to Get Its Very Own V&A Museum," 14 July 2018
Today the condo has a completely modern feel with a sweeping open plan for the dining area and spacious living room with windows facing every direction but south.

— shari rudavsky, Indianapolis Star, "Hot Property: 4-bedroom Tarkington Tower condo for $550K means amenities plus view," 13 July 2018
Passages of crashing orchestral dissonance give way to sweeping lyric lines in the strings, which in turn yield to periods of busy, gnarly phrase-making across the ensemble.

— howard reich, chicagotribune.com, "Grant Park Orchestra review: A fitting 80th birthday tribute to William Bolcom," 7 July 2018
In this predicament, sweeping demands for courtesy may not go as far as small gestures.

— michael andor brodeur, BostonGlobe.com, "5 (pretty easy) steps to improve civility online," 6 July 2018
The numbers bolster studies that show California’s sweeping criminal justice reforms of the past seven years, which have sought to keep more lower-level offenders out of jails and prisons, have not fueled violent crime.

— evan sernoffsky, SFChronicle.com, "Bay Area homicides plunge to historic lows in first half of 2018," 6 July 2018
Instead, leading pollsters describe multiple factors boosting women this year, ranging from sweeping cultural forces to a subtle feeling among liberal-leaning voters that women are more progressive.

— alex roarty, Anchorage Daily News, "Why women are dominating Democratic primaries," 30 June 2018
All initiatives face the prospect of falling short of receiving enough signatures, though these sweeping measures long had seemed certain to qualify.

— michael smolens, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Why San Diego's marquee initiatives might not make the ballot," 29 June 2018
Among the legislation that has already gone into effect is the sweeping Parkland bill that legislators narrowly compromised on and was signed by Scott in March.

— elizabeth koh, miamiherald, "Most minors can't marry in Florida starting July 1. And there are 100+ other new laws.," 29 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sweep.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of sweep

Middle English swepen; akin to Old English swāpan to sweep, Old High German sweifen to wander

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

sweep Synonyms

sweep

noun

Definition of sweep

1 : something that sweeps or works with a sweeping motion: such as

a : a long pole or timber pivoted on a tall post and used to raise and lower a bucket in a well

b : a triangular cultivator blade that cuts off weeds under the soil surface

c : a windmill sail

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 : chimney sweep

5 : sweepstakes

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

See sweep defined for English-language learners

Examples of sweep in a Sentence

Mrs. Griswold has been a teacher for so long that the sweep of her influence extends across three generations of the townspeople.

Recent Examples of sweep from the Web

Waves crash on the sand below us, and the setting sun casts a broad sweep of light above the silvery Pacific, where tufts of fog hover on the horizon.

— jeanne cooper, SFChronicle.com, "Where to watch the sunset with a cocktail around Half Moon Bay," 11 July 2018
For a few fleeting innings, the Orioles could fantasize about pulling off a doubleheader sweep Monday against the New York Yankees.

— peter schmuck, baltimoresun.com, "Yankees strike back, salvage doubleheader split with 10-2 rout of Orioles," 10 July 2018
Laguna Beach finished fourth in the Orange Coast League with a record of 4-6, earning sweeps of Estancia and Saddleback.

— andrew turner, latimes.com, "Daily Pilot Softball Dream Team: Unexpected year from Kelli Kufta kept Huntington Beach strong," 8 July 2018
That was certainly the case in the 2007 NBA Finals when Parker was named MVP after averaging 21 points and six assists while shooting 48 percent from the floor in a sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers in LeBron James’ first Finals.

— tom orsborn, San Antonio Express-News, "Parker’s fearless drives won’t be forgotten," 6 July 2018
The next night, another loss, a series sweep and just four wins in more than a month.

— sam mellinger, kansascity, "The challenge of being Salvy on a hopeless, last-place Royals team," 5 July 2018
The Girls 11-12 Division high-point standings featured a Pine Crest sweep as Sara Lin (77), Lily Soldani (59) and Bella Egizi (58) took top honors.

— emmett hall, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Youth swimmers make splash at Fort Lauderdale international meet," 30 June 2018
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have carried out a series of sweeps in California this year, detaining hundreds of people.

— brittny mejia, Hoy, "No sólo delincuentes: ICE también arresta a residentes permanentes legales," 28 June 2018
The deal revealed by Mr. Ross calls for a clean sweep of ZTE’s board of directors and senior leadership.

— lingling wei, WSJ, "China’s ZTE to Pay $1 Billion Fine in Settlement With U.S.," 7 June 2018

Illustration of sweep

First Known Use of sweep

1548

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

sweep Synonyms

Synonyms

amplitude, breadth, compass, confines, dimension(s), extent, range, reach, realm, scope, width;

Related Words

gamut, spectrum, spread;

bailiwick, circle, demesne, department, discipline, domain, element, fief, fiefdom, field, province, region, specialty, sphere, terrain;

frontier;

horizon, panorama;

Synonym Discussion of sweep

range, gamut, compass, sweep, scope, orbit mean the extent that lies within the powers of something (as to cover or control). range is a general term indicating the extent of one's perception or the extent of powers, capacities, or possibilities.

- the entire range of human experience

gamut suggests a graduated series running from one possible extreme to another.

- a performance that ran the gamut of emotions

compass implies a sometimes limited extent of perception, knowledge, or activity.

- your concerns lie beyond the narrow compass of this study

sweep suggests extent, often circular or arc-shaped, of motion or activity.

- the book covers the entire sweep of criminal activity

scope is applicable to an area of activity, predetermined and limited, but somewhat flexible.

- as time went on, the scope of the investigation widened

orbit suggests an often circumscribed range of activity or influence within which forces work toward accommodation.

- within that restricted orbit they tried to effect social change

SWEEP Defined for English Language Learners

sweep

verb

Definition of sweep for English Language Learners

: to remove (something, such as dust or dirt) from a surface with a broom or brush or with a quick movement of your hand, fingers, etc.
: to remove dust, dirt, etc., from (something) with a broom or brush
: to move or pass quickly, forcefully, or smoothly

sweep

noun

Definition of sweep for English Language Learners

: an act of cleaning an area with a broom or brush
: a long, smooth movement often in a wide curve
: a large area of land often forming a wide curve

SWEEP Defined for Kids

sweep

verb \ ˈswēp \

Definition of sweep for Students

swept \ˈswept\; sweeping

1 : to remove with a broom or brush

Please sweep up the dirt.

2 : to clean by removing loose dirt or small trash with a broom or brush

I need to sweep the floor.

3 : to move over or across swiftly often with force or destruction

Fire swept the village.

4 : to move or gather as if with a broom or brush

I swept the money from the table.

5 : to move the eyes or an instrument through a wide curve

They swept the hill for some sign of the enemy.

6 : to touch a surface of quickly

The musician's fingers swept the piano keys.

7 : to drive along with steady force

Debris was swept away by the tide.

8 : to become suddenly very popular throughout

It's a show that is sweeping the nation.

9 : to achieve a complete or easy victory

—

sweeper

noun

sweep

noun

Definition of sweep for Students

1 : a curving movement, course, or line

I brushed it away with a sweep of my hand.

2 : an act or instance of cleaning with a broom or brush

3 : a wide stretch or curve of land

4 : something that sweeps or works with a sweeping motion

5 : a complete or easy victory

6 : ¹range 2, scope

The island was outside the sweep of our vision.

7 : chimney sweep

Learn More about sweep

See words that rhyme with sweep Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for sweep Spanish Central: Translation of sweep Nglish: Translation of sweep for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of sweep for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sweep

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sweep

Definition of sweep

Examples of sweep in a Sentence

Recent Examples of sweep from the Web

Origin and Etymology of sweep

sweep Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

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Related Words

sweep

Definition of sweep

Examples of sweep in a Sentence

Recent Examples of sweep from the Web

Illustration of sweep

First Known Use of sweep

sweep Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Synonym Discussion of sweep

Phrases Related to SWEEP

Related Phrases

SWEEP Defined for English Language Learners

sweep

Definition of sweep for English Language Learners

sweep

Definition of sweep for English Language Learners

SWEEP Defined for Kids

sweep

Definition of sweep for Students

sweeper

sweep

Definition of sweep for Students

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