1
: one that sweeps
2
: a lone back in soccer who plays between the line of the defenders and the goal
Examples of sweeper in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Injured on the job and sporting a wooden leg, Lewis was known more for his job as a street sweeper than a musician.
—
David Browne, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2023
Spencer Torkelson worked a four-pitch walk with two outs in the seventh inning, but Ohtani bounced back by striking out Carpenter on three pitches — 98.4 mph four-seam fastball (called strike), 85.7 mph sweeper (called strike) and 81.5 mph curveball (swinging strike) — for the third out.
—Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press, 27 July 2023
In a 10-pitch battle with Hill, Freeman fell into an immediate 0-and-2 hole, fouled off four pitches while working the count full, then turned on an inside sweeper, launching his 23rd home run of the season on a no-doubt trajectory to right field.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2023
Traffic was subsequently diverted off at Dunbar Lane while the sweeper truck worked the area.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Oct. 2023
The top places for street sweeping tickets There are nearly 2,400 miles of streets across L.A. where the city’s fleet of sweepers clean up trash every other week, preventing debris from clogging storm drains and reaching waterways.
—Cari Spencer, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2023
Wheeler pitches primarily off his four-seam and two-seam fastballs in the 95-96 mph range while also mixing in sliders, sweepers and curveballs.
—Nick Piecoro, The Arizona Republic, 13 June 2023
Cleaning up foliage from your patios, driveways, and sidewalks is a breeze with the S 4 Twin sweeper.
—Wendy Vazquez, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Sep. 2023
The 24-year-old first baseman didn't swing at any pitches outside of the strike zone before hitting left-handed reliever Aaron Bummer's poorly executed full-count sweeper with a 109.6 mph exit velocity.
—Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press, 3 Sep. 2023
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David Browne, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2023
Spencer Torkelson worked a four-pitch walk with two outs in the seventh inning, but Ohtani bounced back by striking out Carpenter on three pitches — 98.4 mph four-seam fastball (called strike), 85.7 mph sweeper (called strike) and 81.5 mph curveball (swinging strike) — for the third out.
—Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press, 27 July 2023
In a 10-pitch battle with Hill, Freeman fell into an immediate 0-and-2 hole, fouled off four pitches while working the count full, then turned on an inside sweeper, launching his 23rd home run of the season on a no-doubt trajectory to right field.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2023
Traffic was subsequently diverted off at Dunbar Lane while the sweeper truck worked the area.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Oct. 2023
The top places for street sweeping tickets There are nearly 2,400 miles of streets across L.A. where the city’s fleet of sweepers clean up trash every other week, preventing debris from clogging storm drains and reaching waterways.
—Cari Spencer, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2023
Wheeler pitches primarily off his four-seam and two-seam fastballs in the 95-96 mph range while also mixing in sliders, sweepers and curveballs.
—Nick Piecoro, The Arizona Republic, 13 June 2023
Cleaning up foliage from your patios, driveways, and sidewalks is a breeze with the S 4 Twin sweeper.
—Wendy Vazquez, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Sep. 2023
The 24-year-old first baseman didn't swing at any pitches outside of the strike zone before hitting left-handed reliever Aaron Bummer's poorly executed full-count sweeper with a 109.6 mph exit velocity.
—Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press, 3 Sep. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sweeper.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of sweeper was
in the 15th century
Phrases Containing sweeper
Dictionary Entries Near sweeper
Cite this Entry
“Sweeper.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sweeper. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.
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More from Merriam-Webster on sweeper
Nglish: Translation of sweeper for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sweeper
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