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

Everyone else in Italy played man-to-man with a libero sweeping up behind the rest of the defence. —James Horncastle, New York Times, 27 May 2026

The series, which is based on the Young Sherlock Holmes novels by Andrew Lane, reimagines the prolific detective as a 19-year-old Oxford student (played by Hero Fiennes Tiffin) who gets swept up in his first mystery, which just so happens to involve his father. —Katie Campione, Deadline, 26 May 2026

Styled by her go-to hairstylist Dimitris Giannetos, her hair fell in soft, undulating brushed out curls to skim her collarbones, swept up at the crown for volume and height. —Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 22 May 2026

This pet grooming kit + vacuum trims, brushes and sucks up loose fur at the same time, so you're not left sweeping up Fido's tumbleweeds afterward. —Trisha Easto, USA Today, 15 May 2026

Rhymes for sweep up

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