make a clean sweep
Idioms-
Remove or eliminate unwanted persons or things, as in The new owners made a clean sweep of the place, intending to replace all the equipment . This phrase replaced the much older (16th-century) general sweep . [Mid-1800s]
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Win overwhelmingly, as in Our candidate made a clean sweep of all the districts . This usage is most often found with reference to success in a sports competition or election.
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.
Arkansas beat both Auburn and Kentucky and could make a clean sweep with a second win over the Vols.
From Seattle Times
A third, “Fool’s House,” in Philadelphia, has a broom attached, as if to make a clean sweep.
From New York Times
Make a clean sweep and add Fort Carson, Colo., to the list for renaming.
From Washington Post
The Austrian was favoured to make a clean sweep of the Björn Borg Group against Berrettini, but will not be totally disheartened.
From The Guardian
The performance allowed the Bruins to nearly make a clean sweep of the Pac-12 Conference awards handed out Monday.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
