1
a
: moving or extending in a wide curve or over a wide area
b
: having a curving line or form
2
a
: extensive
sweeping reforms
b
: marked by wholesale and indiscriminate inclusion
sweeping generalities
sweepingly
adverb
sweepingness
noun
Examples of sweeping in a Sentence
Noun
The porch needs a good sweeping.
Adjective
a sweeping view of the valley
He dismissed the idea with a sweeping motion of his arm.
Recent Examples on the Web
Michael James Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2026
This year, street sweeping has been arranged to not occur on garbage and recycling collection days as much as possible, according to city officials.
—Kathryn Kovalenko, Twin Cities, 8 Apr. 2026
Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026
But sweeping techniques don’t work against complex and pressure mines, according to Schuster.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sweeping
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Noun
The riding of the bus or the sweeping of one’s floor before starting one’s work might be part of that process of getting to someplace unknown.
—Michael James Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2026
This year, street sweeping has been arranged to not occur on garbage and recycling collection days as much as possible, according to city officials.
—Kathryn Kovalenko, Twin Cities, 8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
Yet as this sweeping, heady, spectacularly ambitious and relentlessly lusty set showed over its hour and half, the body is the first site of liberation.
—Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026
But sweeping techniques don’t work against complex and pressure mines, according to Schuster.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sweeping
Cite this Entry
“Sweeping.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sweeping. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
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