as in to eradicate
to destroy all traces of
some priceless works of literature were swept away when the library at Alexandria burned
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sweep (away)
Verb
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Davis has partnered with multiple programs to eradicate childhood hunger in the U.S. and recently launched the Davis-Tennon Foundation.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
30 June 2025 -
Vaccines eradicated smallpox and dramatically reduced infant deaths from measles, tuberculosis, whooping cough, and tetanus.—
Kelsey Piper,
Vox,
27 June 2025
Verb
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Federal climate science is being systematically erased.—
Matthew Glasser,
ABC News,
1 July 2025
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The Human Constant Technological revolutions do not erase the need for human judgment.—
Solange Charas,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
Verb
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Lethal injection is the only method of execution after firing squads were abolished in 2011.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
26 June 2025
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Beginning in the 1950s, between 20 million and 25 million households gained ownership of plots of land through the government’s scheme to abolish the colonial-era zamindari system of tax-collecting landlords.—
Michael Albertus,
Foreign Affairs,
24 June 2025
Verb
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In September 2024, the same month as the pager attack and assassination of Hezbollah’s leader, Israel launched the most extensive campaign of airstrikes in the air force’s history hitherto, destroying much of Hezbollah’s strategic surface-to-surface missile stockpiles.—
Paul Iddon,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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Grossi acknowledged that some of the uranium already enriched by Iranian scientists could have been destroyed as part of the attack.—
John Bacon,
USA Today,
30 June 2025
Verb
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The Spanish crown then imposed its language on the subjects, wiping out or nearly wiping out other languages in the process.—
Carey Baraka,
The Dial,
26 June 2025
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For one thing, the same nuclear powers these countries are seeking to deter—China, Russia, and North Korea—could decide to wipe out any emerging nuclear programs in a preventive attack.—
VIPIN NARANG,
Foreign Affairs,
24 June 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Sweep (away).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sweep%20%28away%29. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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