- present participle of sweep.
sweeping
Americanadjective
-
of wide range or scope.
- Synonyms:
- comprehensive, broad, extensive
-
moving or passing about over a wide area.
a sweeping glance.
-
moving, driving, or passing steadily and forcibly on.
-
(of the outcome of a contest) decisive; overwhelming; complete.
a sweeping victory.
adjective
-
comprehensive and wide-ranging
sweeping reforms
-
indiscriminate or without reservations
sweeping statements
-
decisive or overwhelming
a sweeping victory
-
taking in a wide area
a sweeping glance
-
driving steadily onwards, esp over a large area
a sweeping attack
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of sweeping
Explanation
Something that's sweeping is wide-ranging or thorough. A political candidate might campaign on promises to bring sweeping change to a country. Sweeping things can be extensive, like the sweeping powers a president has in a dictatorship, or curving, like the sweeping motion a dancer makes with his arm. Sweeping can also mean "overly broad," so if you make a sweeping generalization, you take a general idea or rule and apply it too widely, without allowing any exceptions to it.
Vocabulary lists containing sweeping
Spy School
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Lesson 5
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The Lion of Mars
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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.
See Examples For:
The US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit agreed with the lower court that such a sweeping White House overhaul required the explicit consent of Congress.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
If confirmed, the Workday buyout would be a continuation of an ongoing trend sweeping through the software sector.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
Messi popped up with an injury-time goal, sweeping home a first-time shot from the edge of the area.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
So we were looking forward to seeing sweeping improvements when Walter took control and provided the organization with a much-needed financial infusion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Our friends expected bad weather, so they hardly noticed when heavy rain came sweeping down a valley.
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
In a statement Banksy jokes: "While the unauthorised Banksy shows might look like sweepings from my studio floor, CUT & RUN really is the actual sweepings from my studio floor."
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2023
But sweepings demands for a more equitable society were left for later.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2020
“The paper of ‘A sketch of the viscera,’ c.1515–16, contains fragments of wood chips, hair, wool and insect parts, possibly sweepings from the mill floor,” explains the Royal Collection, in its statement.
From Fox News ● Jan. 29, 2019
It was like mild Ovaltine mixed with floor sweepings.
From New York Times ● May 25, 2017
He had poured that slim little ingot, now lying yonder in the courtyard beside the drawplate, from just such sweepings as this.
From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
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.
