clean sweep
Americannoun
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an overwhelming or decisive victory, as by a political candidate who wins in all or almost all election districts.
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the winning of all the prizes, rounds, contests, etc., in a competition or of all the games in a series.
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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.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Wales suffered another Six Nations clean sweep after losing to Italy, a result which extends their winless run to a record nine Tests.
From BBC • May 17, 2026
"It was a clean sweep with respect to liability against both Google and Meta," case attorney Jayne Conroy told the BBC after the verdict.
From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026
Germany were close to earning a clean sweep on the podium - their second of the week after doing so in the two-man event - but Switzerland swept in to take a surprise bronze.
From BBC • Feb. 22, 2026
Gu arrived at the Games targeting a clean sweep of golds in her three events after winning two golds and a silver at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, where she was the host nation's darling.
From Barron's • Feb. 21, 2026
It will be one clean sweep, left to right.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
