to move or remove (dust, dirt, etc.) with or as if with a broom, brush, or the like.
to clear or clean (a floor, room, chimney, etc.) of dirt, litter, or the like, by means of a broom or brush.
to drive or carry by some steady force, as of a wind or wave: The wind swept the snow into drifts.
to pass or draw (something) over a surface with a continuous stroke or movement: The painter swept a brush over his canvas.
to make (a path, opening, etc.) by clearing a space with or as if with a broom.
to clear (a surface, place, etc.) of something on or in it (often followed by of): to sweep a sea of enemy ships.
to pass over (a surface, region, etc.) with a steady, driving movement or unimpeded course, as winds, floods, etc.: sandstorms sweeping the plains.
to search (an area or building) thoroughly: Soldiers swept the town, looking for deserters.
to pass the gaze, eyes, etc., over (a region, area, etc.): His eyes swept the countryside.
to direct (the eyes, gaze, etc.) over a region, surface, or the like: He swept his eyes over the countryside.
to examine electronically, as to search for a hidden listening device.
to win a complete or overwhelming victory in (a contest): Johnson swept the presidential election of 1964.
to win (every game, round, hand, etc., of a series of contests): The Yankees swept the three-game series.
Music.
to pass the fingers or bow over (a musical instrument, its strings or keys, etc.), as in playing.
to bring forth (music) thus.
verb (used without object),swept,sweep·ing.
to sweep a floor, room, etc., with or as if with a broom: The new broom sweeps well.
to move steadily and strongly or swiftly (usually followed by along, down, by, into, etc.).
to move or pass in a swift but stately manner: Proudly, she swept from the room.
to move, pass, or extend in a continuous course, especially a wide curve or circuit: His glance swept around the room.
to conduct an underwater search by towing a drag under the surface of the water.
Aeronautics. (of an airfoil or its leading or trailing edge) to project from the fuselage at an angle rearward or forward of a line perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft.
noun
the act of sweeping, especially a moving, removing, clearing, etc., by or as if by the use of a broom: to give the house a good sweep.
the steady, driving motion or swift onward course of something moving with force or without interruption: the sweep of the wind and the waves.
an examination by electronic detection devices of a room or building to determine the presence of hidden listening devices.
a swinging or curving movement or stroke, as of the arm, a weapon, an oar, etc.
reach, range, or compass, as of something sweeping about: the sweep of a road about a marsh.
a continuous extent or stretch: a broad sweep of sand.
a curving, especially widely or gently curving, line, form, part, or mass.
matter removed or gathered by sweeping.
Also called well sweep. a leverlike device for raising or lowering a bucket in a well.
a large oar used in small vessels, sometimes to assist the rudder or to propel the craft.
an overwhelming victory in a contest.
a winning of all the games, rounds, hands, prizes, etc., in a contest by one contestant.
Football. end run.
one of the sails of a windmill.
Agriculture. any of the detachable triangular blades on a cultivator.
Chiefly British. a person employed to clean by sweeping, especially a chimney sweeper.
Cards.
Whist.the winning of all the tricks in a hand.Compare slam2 (def. 1).
Casino.a pairing or combining, and hence taking, of all the cards on the board.
Physics. an irreversible process tending towards thermal equilibrium.
Origin of sweep
1
1250–1300; Middle English swepen (v.); compare Old English geswēpa sweepings, derivative of swāpan to sweep (>obsolete English swope); cognate with German schweifen
OTHER WORDS FROM sweep
sweep·a·ble,adjectiveun·sweep·a·ble,adjective
Words nearby sweep
Swedish Nightingale, Swedish turnip, Swedish vallhund, Sweelinck, sweeny, sweep, sweep account, sweepback, sweep check, sweeper, sweep hand
Unless it’s a clean sweep by the Democrats, none of this will happen.
What Wall Street needs from the 2020 election|Bernhard Warner|September 30, 2020|Fortune
The chytrid pandemic was selecting frogs based on their microbes—a selective sweep in which amphibians harboring one microbial community survived above all others.
When Evolution Is Infectious - Issue 90: Something Green|Moises Velasquez-Manoff|September 30, 2020|Nautilus
This gravel handlebar keeps the controls in the same neutral position as a standard road handlebar and creates sweep below the controls for a wider, more confident hand position when riding in the drops.
New Gravel Bike Accessories for a Smoother Ride|Josh Patterson|September 28, 2020|Outside Online
There’s also no evidence that a single sweep of the virus through the population would lead to herd immunity, says Sten Vermund, dean of the Yale School of Public Health.
Although several players have gotten close, and several others seem like they’ve played for every single team in a league, there are surprisingly few who have made a clean sweep of a given division.
The Summer Of Playoffs|Sarah Shachat|August 18, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Decorative yes, but a daily handbag that will sweep through the closets of women worldwide?
Handbags: The More You Pay, The Smaller They Shrink|Elizabeth Landers|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The “24-hour news cycle” just makes them harder to sweep under the rug and ignore.
I Blame People Who Blame the Media: Robert McCulloch’s Tone-Deaf Speech|Arthur Chu|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The remains were shipped to Fiji just as the war was about to sweep the region.
How Amelia's Plane Was Found|Michael Daly|October 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The sweep team and the motorcade soon arrived at the United Nations, where Obama delivered an address about climate change.
The President and the Tow Truck Driver|Michael Daly|September 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The sweep team was leading the way when it came upon an unattended red car parked along the route.
The President and the Tow Truck Driver|Michael Daly|September 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The chanter, evidently out of respect for Nekhludoff, wished to sweep around him, and thus it happened that he grazed Katiousha.
The Awakening|Leo Nikoleyevich Tolstoy
A star shot down the sky, and I wished that a wind as swift and strong would rise and sweep the land out to sea.
Audrey|Mary Johnston
Morton was standing at the door of his cabin looking out on that sweep of plains with thoughtful eyes.
The Price of the Prairie|Margaret Hill McCarter
There are many of them, and as they sweep along they are a sight to be looked at with trembling.
The Fair God|Lew Wallace
The word was like an explosion setting things loose in his brain, and the touch of her hand sent a sweep of fire through him.
The Alaskan|James Oliver Curwood
British Dictionary definitions for sweep
sweep
/ (swiːp) /
verbsweeps, sweepingorswept
to clean or clear (a space, chimney, etc) with a brush, broom, etc
(often foll by up)to remove or collect (dirt, rubbish, etc) with a brush, broom, etc
to move in a smooth or continuous manner, esp quickly or forciblycars swept along the road
to move in a proud or dignified fashionshe swept past
to spread or pass rapidly across, through, or along (a region, area, etc)the news swept through the town
(tr)to direct (the gaze, line of fire, etc) over; survey
(tr; foll by away or off)to overwhelm emotionallyshe was swept away by his charm
(tr)to brush or lightly touch (a surface, etc)the dress swept along the ground
(tr often foll by away) to convey, clear, or abolish, esp with strong or continuous movementsthe sea swept the sandcastle away; secondary modern schools were swept away
(intr)to extend gracefully or majestically, esp in a wide circlethe plains sweep down to the sea
to search (a body of water) for mines, etc, by dragging
to search (a room, area, etc) electronically to detect spying devices
(tr)to win overwhelmingly, esp in an electionLabour swept the country
cricketto play (a ball) with a sweep
(tr)to propel (a boat) with sweeps
sweep something under the carpetorsweep something under the rugto conceal (something, esp a problem) in the hope that it will be overlooked by others
sweep the board
(in gambling) to win all the cards or money
to win every event or prize in a contest
noun
the act or an instance of sweeping; removal by or as if by a brush or broom
a swift or steady movement, esp in an arcwith a sweep of his arms
the distance, arc, etc, through which something, such as a pendulum, moves
a wide expanse or scopethe sweep of the plains
any curving line or contour
cards
the winning of every trick in a hand of whist
the taking, by pairing, of all exposed cards in cassino
short for sweepstake
cricketa shot in which the ball is hit more or less square on the leg side from a half-kneeling position with the bat held nearly horizontal
a long oar used on an open boat
Australiana person steering a surf boat with such an oar
any of the sails of a windmill
electronicsa steady horizontal or circular movement of an electron beam across or around the fluorescent screen of a cathode-ray tube
agriculture
a rakelike attachment for the front of a motor vehicle for pushing hay into piles
a triangular blade on a cultivator used to cut through roots below the surface of the soil
a curving driveway
mainlyBritish See chimney sweep
another name for swipe (def. 6)
clean sweep
an overwhelming victory or success
a complete change; purgeto make a clean sweep
Derived forms of sweep
sweepy, adjective
Word Origin for sweep
C13 swepen; related to Old English swāpan, Old Norse sveipa; see swipe, swoop