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

Holding it all together is the irrepressible Rodri, sweeping up loose balls and snuffing out counter-attacks with a positional awareness few central midfielders match. — Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 20 July 2026

Their deaths highlight the proliferation of maritime narcotics trafficking — and the ways that some Mexican fishermen have been swept up in the drug trade. — Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026

Dirr cautions shoppers against getting swept up by flashy displays or marketing hype before learning whether a plant actually suits their garden. — Colleen Sullivan, Martha Stewart, 14 July 2026

Göktaş was just one among hundreds of people swept up ahead of this week’s NATO summit in Ankara, the Turkish capital. — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 9 July 2026

Rhymes for sweep up

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