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
Newsweek has revealed dozens of cases involving green card holders and applicants who were swept up in the ICE raids.
—
Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
The sanitation workers were practically still sweeping up the Year 2000 confetti in Times Square when Lexus revealed the all-new, third-gen LS at the Detroit Auto Show in January 2000.
—Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 30 Oct. 2025
Yet even firms far from Silicon Valley are getting swept up.
—Jared Perlo, NBC news, 30 Oct. 2025
Her father, Ezra Jin Mingri, and dozens of other members of Zion Church had been swept up in a mass crackdown across various congregations and Chinese cities – the largest suppression since a similar wave of arrests in 2018.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sweep up
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Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
The sanitation workers were practically still sweeping up the Year 2000 confetti in Times Square when Lexus revealed the all-new, third-gen LS at the Detroit Auto Show in January 2000.
—Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 30 Oct. 2025
Yet even firms far from Silicon Valley are getting swept up.
—Jared Perlo, NBC news, 30 Oct. 2025
Her father, Ezra Jin Mingri, and dozens of other members of Zion Church had been swept up in a mass crackdown across various congregations and Chinese cities – the largest suppression since a similar wave of arrests in 2018.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sweep up
Cite this Entry
“Sweep up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sweep%20up. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
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