26984 words

sweep

20 definitions • 31 examples
1
to clean something, especially a floor by using a brush to collect the dirt into one place from which it can be removed:

Examples:

sweep the floor
2
to move, especially quickly and powerfully:

Examples:

sweep into Everyone looked up as she swept into the room.
sweep through The fire swept (= spread quickly) through the house.
sweep into power The National Party swept into power (= easily won the election) with a majority of almost 200.
3
to quickly spread through and influence an area:

Examples:

4
to travel across all of an area, especially when looking for something:

Examples:

American minesweepers are sweeping the Arabian Sea.
5

Examples:

The road sweeps down to the coast.
6
to remove and/or take in a particular direction, especially in a fast and powerful way:

Examples:

sweep someone/something away A large wave swept away half the sandcastle.
sweep something into something She swept the pile of papers and books into her bag.
be swept out to sea The boat was swept out to sea (= away from land) by the tide.
sweep someone/something aside Government troops swept aside the rebel forces (= caused them to move away from the area in which they were).
7
to win all the parts of a competition, or to win very easily:

Examples:

The Yankees swept the four-game series with the Blue Jays.
8
a movement, especially a quick, powerful one or one to search an area:

Examples:

sweep of With a sweep (= horizontal movement) of its tail, the alligator knocked her under the water.
9
a long, often curved, area of land, sea, river, etc.:

Examples:

sweep of A broad sweep of flat countryside stretched to the horizon in all directions.
10
the act of sweeping something to clean it:

Examples:

a sweep I've given the kitchen floor a sweep (= I have swept it).
11
old-fashioned for
12
in cricket, an attacking hit in which the batter (= the player who tries to hit the ball) bends their knees and moves down while hitting the ball on the left side for a right-handed batter or on the right side for a left-handed batter:

Examples:

The batter top-edged a sweep and was caught at deep square leg.
Most of his runs came from sweeps off the spinners.
13
a period of time when measurements of the number of people watching different television stations are made so that the cost of advertising on each station can be set:

Examples:

It was deliberately broadcast during the sweeps for shock value.
14
to clean a floor or other surface by using a brush to collect the dirt into one place from which it can be removed:

Examples:

[ T ] She sweeps the street in front of her house.
[ M ] The classroom is filthy – could you sweep it out?
[ I ] I swept under every piece of furniture.
15
to remove or take something in a particular direction, esp. suddenly and with force:

Examples:

She paused, sweeping a hair from her brow.
[ M ] Floodwaters were sweeping away gardens and driving residents to higher ground.
16

Examples:

[ I always + adv/prep ] A stiff breeze swept across the parking lot.
[ I always + adv/prep ] He would sweep through the room shaking hands with everyone.
[ T ] Our headlights were sweeping the trees ahead.
17
to win all the parts of a competition:

Examples:

New York swept their series with Vancouver, 3-0.
18

Examples:

the sweep of the clock’s hour hand
a police sweep
19
The sweep of an idea or piece of writing is the range of its subject:

Examples:

He is aware of the epic sweep of this project.
20
the fact of winning everything that is available or all parts of a competition:

Examples:

She prevented Republicans from making a clean sweep of the election by winning the race in District 27.

Navigation