sweep up

phrasal 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

Notably, Musk swept up Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson in addition to Trump, needling them over their past debt concerns. —Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 6 June 2025

Companies were aware of the risks of vodka being swept up in Cold War politics. —Time, 4 June 2025

In Touch Grass, denim revisits 2008-2010 when fashion was swept up with normcore and heritage. —Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 30 May 2025

Meghann Fahy and Milly Alcock costar as sisters swept up in Michaela's life of glamour and privilege. —Randall Colburn, EW.com, 22 May 2025

Rhymes for sweep up

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