sweep aside

verb

swept aside; sweeping aside; sweeps aside
: to treat (something) as not important : to ignore (something)
He swept aside questions about his son's arrest.
He swept aside their objections, refusing to change his plans.

Examples of sweep aside in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Rules that were supposed to keep this from happening are swept aside. Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2026 However, watching Manchester City be swept aside by Champions League specialists Real Madrid, or Chelsea wilt against last year’s winners Paris Saint-Germain, or even Arsenal labour to a 1-1 draw at Bayer Leverkusen, stirred echoes of previous European campaigns at this time of year. Tim Spiers, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2026 Russia may have been thwarted in its immediate bid to sweep aside the Ukrainian president and swallow its neighbor whole. Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 24 Feb. 2026 At the same time, investors are growing increasingly worried about the businesses that will potentially be swept aside — or at least significantly upended — by the new applications that are being steadily rolled out. Bloomberg, Oc Register, 16 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sweep aside

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sweep aside.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sweep%20aside. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster