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Sweep Very Common

Sweep has 17 different meanings across 2 categories:

Noun · Verb

Definitions
Noun
1

a wide scope

"the sweep of the plains"

2

someone who cleans soot from chimneys

"The chimney sweep climbed up the narrow flue to clean out the accumulated soot."

3

winning all or all but one of the tricks in bridge

"The expert player managed to sweep every trick during the final round of the bridge match."

4

a long oar used in an open boat

"The rower adjusted his grip on the sweep to pull the boat through the calm water."

5

(American football) an attempt to advance the ball by running around the end of the line

"The quarterback executed a quick sweep on the left side to gain crucial yardage before being tackled."

6

a movement in an arc

"a sweep of his arm"

7

A single action of sweeping.

"She made one quick sweep across the floor to catch any stray crumbs."

In plain English: A sweep is when you clean up everything by moving your broom back and forth to gather all the dirt into one pile.

"He used his broom to make one final sweep across the floor before leaving for work."

Verb
1

sweep across or over

"Her long skirt brushed the floor"

"A gasp swept cross the audience"

2

move with sweeping, effortless, gliding motions

"The diva swept into the room"

"Shreds of paper sailed through the air"

"The searchlights swept across the sky"

3

sweep with a broom or as if with a broom

"Sweep the crumbs off the table"

"Sweep under the bed"

4

force into some kind of situation, condition, or course of action

"They were swept up by the events"

"don't drag me into this business"

5

to cover or extend over an area or time period

"Rivers traverse the valley floor"

"The parking lot spans 3 acres"

"The novel spans three centuries"

6

clean by sweeping

"Please sweep the floor"

7

win an overwhelming victory in or on

"Her new show dog swept all championships"

8

cover the entire range of

"The lighthouse beam sweeps across the dark ocean, illuminating every ship on the horizon."

9

make a big sweeping gesture or movement

"She made a big sweeping gesture toward the empty chair to indicate where he should sit."

10

To clean (a surface) by means of a stroking motion of a broom or brush.

"She swept the kitchen floor until every crumb was gone."

In plain English: To sweep means to move something quickly across an area, usually with a broom, to clean it up.

"Please sweep the floor before guests arrive."

Usage: Use the verb form to describe cleaning surfaces with a broom, while reserving the noun for that specific cleaning action itself. Avoid confusing this physical act of clearing debris with metaphorical uses like "sweeping away" problems unless you intend a figurative meaning.

Example Sentences
"He used his broom to make one final sweep across the floor before leaving for work." noun
"Please sweep the floor before guests arrive." verb
"She decided to sweep the kitchen floor before dinner guests arrived." verb
"The strong wind swept across the field, knocking over several trees." verb
"He will sweep his opponent in the next round of the tournament." verb
See Also
sweeps sweep up brush oar horizontal swipe fulcrum clear out
Related Terms
Broader Terms (hypernyms)
scope cleaner victory oar run motion move wipe involve cover clean win wield
Narrower Terms (hyponyms)
grand slam little slam swan rake

Origin

The word "sweep" comes from Middle English and originally meant to whip or cleanse. It is part of a family of Germanic words that share this same root meaning.

Rhyming Words
eep beep veep neep weep heep geep peep meep yeep keep seep teep jeep deep bleep sleep creep queep dreep
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