1
as in flows
to move or proceed smoothly and readily
the wind swept across the plain without respite
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in curves
to turn away from a straight line or course
from this point the mountain range sweeps to the northeast and extends into the next state
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in confines
an area over which activity, capacity, or influence extends
Mrs. Griswold has been a teacher for so long that the sweep of her influence extends across three generations of the townspeople
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sweeps
Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 7 Nov. 2025
Seehorn's Carol is the aforementioned miserable person, a best-selling author of historical romance novels, whose life is turned upside down when a virus sweeps the planet.
—Samantha Highfill, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Nov. 2025
LaMalfa represents California’s 1st Congressional District, which, in its current form, sweeps south from the Oregon border almost to Sacramento.
—Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 6 Nov. 2025
Into this pastoral scene of modern irrigation and baseball training sweeps Walter Matthau, driving a big, old, shambolic convertible, well past its prime but, like its driver, still possessing more than a bit of charm.
—Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025
The administration took federal control of 3,000 members of the California National Guard after immigration sweeps in Los Angeles prompted violent protests last summer.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 3 Nov. 2025
These events still shape the solar wind environment that later sweeps past our planet or impacts other worlds, such as Venus and Mars.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 29 Oct. 2025
Maricopa County deputies, after getting 287(g) certified in 2007, carried out 11 immigration sweeps within five months outside a former furniture store in Phoenix that was a popular gathering spot for laborers.
—Rafael Carranza, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2025
As a transphobic firestorm sweeps American culture and legislatures, ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio becomes the first trans man to argue a case before the Supreme Court.
—Beatrice Verhoeven, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2025
Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 7 Nov. 2025
Kenley Hamilton and twin sister Kailey totaled 574 digs — 309 by the former and 265 from the latter — that helped the team record 29 sweeps in 40 regular-season matches.
—Mike Waters, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Oct. 2025
Make sure screens are intact Ditto for door sweeps and seals under your garage door.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 30 Oct. 2025
In August, 29 workers were arrested as part of a warehouse raid in Edison—one of the largest sweeps in the region this year.
—Nik Popli, Time, 30 Oct. 2025
Ellis has been presiding over an ongoing lawsuit filed by news organizations and protesters who accuse agents of using excessive force during demonstrations against immigration sweeps.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
These can come in plastic, but door sweeps are usually made of an aluminum strip with a rubber seal.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Oct. 2025
Advocates and nonprofits providing free attorneys to undocumented immigrants scrambled Wednesday to warn their clients of the potential immigration sweeps and to urge them to avoid normal gathering spaces.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 22 Oct. 2025
In August, the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition filed a lawsuit against the Highway Patrol seeking access to public records about the May sweeps.
—Rafael Carranza, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
Temperatures are also expected to drop this weekend as the cold front sweeps through.
—Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 7 Nov. 2025
Seehorn's Carol is the aforementioned miserable person, a best-selling author of historical romance novels, whose life is turned upside down when a virus sweeps the planet.
—Samantha Highfill, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Nov. 2025
LaMalfa represents California’s 1st Congressional District, which, in its current form, sweeps south from the Oregon border almost to Sacramento.
—Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 6 Nov. 2025
Into this pastoral scene of modern irrigation and baseball training sweeps Walter Matthau, driving a big, old, shambolic convertible, well past its prime but, like its driver, still possessing more than a bit of charm.
—Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025
The administration took federal control of 3,000 members of the California National Guard after immigration sweeps in Los Angeles prompted violent protests last summer.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 3 Nov. 2025
These events still shape the solar wind environment that later sweeps past our planet or impacts other worlds, such as Venus and Mars.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 29 Oct. 2025
Maricopa County deputies, after getting 287(g) certified in 2007, carried out 11 immigration sweeps within five months outside a former furniture store in Phoenix that was a popular gathering spot for laborers.
—Rafael Carranza, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2025
As a transphobic firestorm sweeps American culture and legislatures, ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio becomes the first trans man to argue a case before the Supreme Court.
—Beatrice Verhoeven, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2025
Noun
Inman said officials have also conducted additional searches in the grass area next to Runway 17R and will be doing more sweeps using metal detectors.
—Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 7 Nov. 2025
Kenley Hamilton and twin sister Kailey totaled 574 digs — 309 by the former and 265 from the latter — that helped the team record 29 sweeps in 40 regular-season matches.
—Mike Waters, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Oct. 2025
Make sure screens are intact Ditto for door sweeps and seals under your garage door.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 30 Oct. 2025
In August, 29 workers were arrested as part of a warehouse raid in Edison—one of the largest sweeps in the region this year.
—Nik Popli, Time, 30 Oct. 2025
Ellis has been presiding over an ongoing lawsuit filed by news organizations and protesters who accuse agents of using excessive force during demonstrations against immigration sweeps.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
These can come in plastic, but door sweeps are usually made of an aluminum strip with a rubber seal.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Oct. 2025
Advocates and nonprofits providing free attorneys to undocumented immigrants scrambled Wednesday to warn their clients of the potential immigration sweeps and to urge them to avoid normal gathering spaces.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 22 Oct. 2025
In August, the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition filed a lawsuit against the Highway Patrol seeking access to public records about the May sweeps.
—Rafael Carranza, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sweeps
Verb
-
Walk through the front door and the layout flows uninterrupted into multiple living areas highlighted by warm cherry wood accents, fine architectural details and an abundance of natural light.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Each actress nails the comedic timing – and the accented English that flows with the cadence of their mother tongues.—
Elizabeth B. Kim,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The trail brushes past the Bell Rock formation, then curves away from the road and crosses some red rock ledges offering impressive vistas.—
Roger Naylor,
AZCentral.com,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Drawings of the Duffield Cave, as seen in the YouTube video, show that the section has a narrow entrance, then curves upward before flowing left, dropping down again and bending right before angling back up to a larger chamber.—
Mark Gray,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
This could then support the idea of a relic magnetic field existing in the intergalactic medium, the matter that drifts between galaxies.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Music drifts through the salt air as roadside vendors fry fish on bare concrete slabs, their foodstands long washed away.—
David Culver,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The gem allows enthusiasts to peer through the observatory’s telescope for an intimate look at the lunar rise or set up their own scopes on the park’s flat viewing areas.—
Dana Sauchelli,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Reflecting different creative approaches and scopes of production.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Each gloss glides on silky smooth, giving lips sheer-to-medium coverage with a buttery-soft feel.—
Nora Colomer
may earn a commission if you buy through our referral links. This content was created by a team that works independently from the Fox newsroom.,
FOXNews.com,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Mars glides into Sagittarius, pushing us to chase our independence and embrace adventure.—
Lisa Stardust,
Refinery29,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Does this explain, perhaps, why Hopkins would then traffic back and forth between the grand realms of British classical theatre and the badlands of the movies, over the years, with an ease denied even to Olivier?—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Jack is curious about life’s mysteries and wants to learn about the elements that make up all the realms.—
Lisa Stardust,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
States in the upper and lower reaches of the basin have struggled for two years to find a workable agreement and failed.—
Austin Corona,
AZCentral.com,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Tickets are now on sale for the 2026 South Beach Wine & Food Festival, with dining and wine events stretching from Fort Lauderdale to the furthest reaches of South Miami-Dade.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The research team underlined that the future work will explore other co-intercalants and optimize electrolytes for even wider temperature ranges.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Pooling of sea water is possible around high tide at beach and harbor areas that is uncommon with normal tidal ranges.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sweeps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sweeps. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share