broom

[ broom, broom ]

noun

1. an implement for sweeping, consisting of a brush of straw or stiff strands of synthetic material bound tightly to the end of a long handle.
2. any shrubby plant belonging to the genus Genista or the genus Cytisus, of the legume family, especially C. scoparius, common in Western Europe on uncultivated ground and having long, slender branches bearing yellow flowers.
3. Building Trades. the crushed and spread part at the head of a wooden pile after driving.

verb (used with object)

1. to sweep:

   Broom the porch.

2. to splinter or fray mechanically.
3. to crush and spread the top of (a piling, tent peg, etc.) by pounding or driving with a hammer or the like.
4. to brush (freshly poured concrete) with a broom to give a nonskid surface, as to walks or driveways.

verb (used without object)

1. (of a piling, tent peg, etc.) to be crushed and spread at the top from being driven.

broom

/ brʊm; bruːm /

noun

1. an implement for sweeping consisting of a long handle to which is attached either a brush of straw, bristles, or twigs, bound together, or a solid head into which are set tufts of bristles or fibres
2. any of various yellow-flowered Eurasian leguminous shrubs of the genera Cytisus , Genista , and Spartium , esp C. scoparius
3. any of various similar Eurasian plants of the related genera Genista and Spartium
4. new broom
   new broom a newly appointed official, etc, eager to make changes

verb

1. tr to sweep with a broom

Pronunciation Note

Broom and room occur with the vowel [oo] of fool or [oo] of book. The first is the more common. The pronunciation with the [oo] of book is found in New England, eastern Virginia, and South Carolina and Georgia alongside the [oo] pronunciation. Farther west the [oo] pronunciation is more common, though the pronunciation with the vowel of book occurs everywhere with no marked regional or social pattern. Both pronunciations occur in British standard and folk speech. The pronunciation with [oo] predominates in the eastern counties, [oo] everywhere else. London lies on the boundary between the two types, and it is thus not surprising that [oo] is found in the United States in the coastal areas that had long and close contact with England.

Word History and Origins

Origin of broom¹

before 1000; Middle English brome, Old English brōm; cognate with Dutch braam bramble, German Bram broom

Word History and Origins

Origin of broom¹

Old English brōm ; related to Old High German brāmo , Middle Dutch bremme

Idioms and Phrases

see new broom sweeps clean .

Example Sentences

The idea that blends are just “diluted malts” was born and has contributed to its lasting image problem, Broom says.

From The Daily Beast

It is the “glue that holds often flaky single malts together,” as Broom puts it.

From The Daily Beast

We sat in his dimly lit office—no bigger than a broom closet—where we commiserated over the current state of American medicine.

From The Daily Beast

Silently, he moves to grab a kombo (a whisk broom instrument)—then, softly, he taps her shoulders and head.

From The Daily Beast

The blood rushed to my head, but I only answered, “A new broom sweeps clean.”

From The Daily Beast

At last a servant-girl came to the open door with a broom in her hand to survey the aspect of things in general.

From Project Gutenberg

And the boy waited with the new broom in his hand, expecting every moment to see the door opened from the outside.

From Project Gutenberg

A broken broom, covered with very ancient cobwebs, lay under one manger, and the remnants of a stable-bucket under another.

From Project Gutenberg

Suddenly Randulf's housekeeper fell upon them with a broom, and the boys scampered away, amidst shouts and laughter.

From Project Gutenberg

It is easy to see that such moving dams of ice may sweep the bed of a river as with a great broom.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• mop