sweep up

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

Since the raid, many have returned to work at US battery plants doing similar jobs, often on the same visas, while carrying the fear of being swept up again by immigration agents, the workers told CNN. — Hanna Park, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2026

Clubs like Sheffield United, Leeds United and Wolverhampton Wanderers now have a dedicated London scout to sweep up talent. — Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

While DiGesu is by far the biggest Knicks loyalist in the group — Bassin reps the Nets, and Winter was more of a football kid growing up — Geese, like everyone else across the five boroughs, got swept up in finals fever. — Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2026

At an Observer event earlier this month, in front of 100 or so Panthers fans, I got swept up in a moment and said the Panthers would go 10-7 in 2026. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 9 Sep. 2026

Rhymes for sweep up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup