sweeper

noun sweep·er \ ˈswē-pər \

|Updated on: 15 Aug 2018

Definition of sweeper

1 : one that sweeps

2 : a lone back in soccer who plays between the line of the defenders and the goal

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Recent Examples of sweeper from the Web

Climbing the canyons above Malibu, California, handling the tight, twisting sweepers, descending into quick switchbacks, the Expedition exudes confidence and stability.

— aaron bragman, USA TODAY, "Review: Ford's revamped Expedition SUV moves to the front of the pack," 13 July 2018
But coal burning required chimneys, and chimneys needed sweepers—usually young boys, the smaller the better, and often as young as 5 or 6.

— charles r. morris, WSJ, "‘Energy’ Review: The Path to Power," 21 June 2018
Several police departments are searching for a person who stole a street sweeper, then nearly drove it into a state trooper’s car on Sunday morning, officials said.

— abigail feldman, BostonGlobe.com, "Person stole street sweeper, drove it at state trooper, police say," 2 Apr. 2018
To handle the debris, the city used 300 employees — 50 more than originally scheduled — as well as 100 pieces of equipment including street sweepers and sanitation trucks.

— frank kummer, Philly.com, "'Like a frat party': Eagles Super Bowl parade breaks city trash record," 9 Feb. 2018
Every other day or so, a street sweeper would rumble by, vacuuming up pebbles and bits of gravel.

— john kelly, Washington Post, "From potholes to perfect pavement: My neighborhood has lovely new streets," 24 June 2018
But the men with the blowers came through quickly just before 2 p.m., blasting the blue and gold confetti into nice little piles to be picked up by the street sweepers.

— sam amick, USA TODAY, "Warriors bask in latest title parade, but future championships are hardly promised," 12 June 2018
Nicknamed Der Kaiser early on in his career for his dominance on the pitch, the midfielder turned centre half is often credited for creating the sweeper position at the heart of defence.

— SI.com, "7 Players That Achieved Greatness Both On and Off the Field," 27 June 2018
DeMonte’s first assignment for the department was to work as a street sweeper-operator.

— kyra senese, chicagotribune.com, "Longtime Morton Grove employee retires, honored after 49 years working for village," 4 June 2018

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

First Known Use of sweeper

15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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SWEEPER Defined for English Language Learners

sweeper

noun

Definition of sweeper for English Language Learners

: a person or machine that sweeps something
soccer : a player whose position is behind other defending players

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See words that rhyme with sweeper Spanish Central: Translation of sweeper Nglish: Translation of sweeper for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sweeper

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