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

And because everything must be swept up, co-opted and expanded upon by AI, the repeating of the offensive word wasn’t just confined to the BBC’s airing of the award show. —Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2026

While she wasn’t named Liam, Bulldog heavyweight Robin Moore, a sophomore, also earned a bronze medal with her third place finish in the girls’ championships at Eastlake High, sweeping up the final state qualifying spot. —Steve Brand, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Feb. 2026

Shares of Blue Owl have plunged 52% over the past 12 months and 30% this year alone, swept up in an overall private credit sell-off amid fears that the sector could be cracking because of their exposure to software industry loans just as Wall Street tries to open the market up to retail investors. —Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 24 Feb. 2026

The latest release of documents tied to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation sent fresh shockwaves through Hollywood, sweeping up boldface names across music, film and royalty. —Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 23 Feb. 2026

Rhymes for sweep up

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