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sweeper

[swee-per]
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noun
  1. a person or thing that sweeps.
  2. carpet sweeper.
  3. a janitor.
  4. any of several fishes of the family Pempherididae, of tropical and warm, temperate seas, having an oblong, compressed body.
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Origin of sweeper

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at sweep1, -er1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

custodianattendantsuperintendentsitterspongetowelmopbroomtoothbrushgatekeepercaretakerconciergesuperportersweeperdoorkeeperswabsqueegeewhiskbesom

Examples from the Web for sweeper

Historical Examples

  • It was so still, not even a sweeper to break the blessed peace.

    Jan and Her Job

    L. Allen Harker

  • If you are only a sweeper, be glad that you were not born a pig or a cobra.

  • But you won't need a sweeper for the floor of the porch, Berta.

    Mary's Rainbow

    Mary Edward Feehan

  • A broom is best, because you cant get around the corners with a sweeper.

    The New Education

    Scott Nearing

  • Ten minutes later the sweeper's signal whistle was repeated.

British Dictionary definitions for sweeper

sweeper

noun
  1. a person employed to sweep, such as a roadsweeper
  2. any device for sweepinga carpet sweeper
  3. informal soccer a player who supports the main defenders, as by intercepting loose balls, etc
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012