clean sweep

noun

1. an overwhelming or decisive victory, as by a political candidate who wins in all or almost all election districts.
2. the winning of all the prizes, rounds, contests, etc., in a competition or of all the games in a series.
3. a thorough or sweeping change, especially one effected by the large-scale removal or elimination of unwanted persons or things:

   The new president made a clean sweep when he joined the company, replacing all the department heads.

Idioms and Phrases

see make a clean sweep .

Example Sentences

Therefore, in order to make a clean sweep of the data that a company collected illicitly, it would also have to wipe out the algorithms that have ingested that data.

From Digiday

Just gather all the information, do a clean sweep on your website, and fix everything.

From Search Engine Land

In the 70s it went through a brief stint as an X-rated adult cinema before an upgrade and clean sweep in the early 80s.

From The Daily Beast

Barring such a radical exorcism, a clean sweep is in order.

From The Daily Beast

The result will force Romney to settle for a crushing win on his native turf, rather than a clean sweep.

From The Daily Beast

"No—they'll try the other side now to get a clean sweep at me," said Stover.

From Project Gutenberg

General Thomas made a clean sweep of the artillery, capturing every piece, and taking forty-five hundred prisoners.

From Project Gutenberg

The woods that interfered with his cannon ranges had all been cut away, and his guns had a clean sweep of every approach.

From Project Gutenberg

All at once it struck me that if I really frightened him too much they might decamp without making a clean sweep.

From Project Gutenberg

Not that it wouldn't seem as usual, even if the gang had paid us a visit and made a clean sweep of our poor possessions.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• achievement
• advantage
• defeat
• gain
• grand slam
• hit
• sweep
• triumph
• winning