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.
“Seattle may win tonight, but after that, I shall be greatly surprised if my men do not make a clean sweep of it.”
From Seattle Times • Mar. 26, 2017
When it comes to organizing, make a clean sweep and resolve to start -- this is often the biggest hurdle to cross.
From US News • Jun. 4, 2015
It’s a race to the starting line this frigid Monday morning, and anyone hoping to make a clean sweep of the day’s events will have to be up by cock’s-crow, or just about.
From New York Times • Feb. 16, 2015
Writing on Facebook, : "The reason given was that the new channel controller wanted to make a clean sweep."
From BBC • Aug. 4, 2011
"After what we have pulled through in the last hour we may as well make a clean sweep of it."
From The King of Arcadia by Lynde, Francis
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.
