Showing results for "sweeping"

• present participle of sweep.

sweeping

American  

[swee-ping] / ˈswi pɪŋ /

adjective

1. of wide range or scope.

   Synonyms:

   comprehensive, broad, extensive

2. moving or passing about over a wide area.

   a sweeping glance.

3. moving, driving, or passing steadily and forcibly on.

4. (of the outcome of a contest) decisive; overwhelming; complete.

   a sweeping victory.

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noun

• sweepings
  plural

1. the act of a person or thing that sweeps.

2. sweepings, matter swept out or up, as dust, refuse, etc.

sweeping British  

/ ˈswiːpɪŋ /

adjective

1. comprehensive and wide-ranging

   sweeping reforms

2. indiscriminate or without reservations

   sweeping statements

3. decisive or overwhelming

   a sweeping victory

4. taking in a wide area

   a sweeping glance

5. driving steadily onwards, esp over a large area

   a sweeping attack

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• sweepingness
  noun
• sweepingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• sweepings
  plural

Etymology

Origin of sweeping

First recorded in 1470–80; sweep ¹ + -ing ², -ing ¹

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sweeping sweepings

From his aerie, Phil Weiser has a sweeping view of the city skyline, the gold-domed Capitol and, occasionally, a red hawk on the wing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026

In August, Meta agreed to pay $18 billion to settle a sweeping lawsuit brought by US states accusing it of designing Instagram and Facebook to get children addicted.

From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026

That speed comes in handy for a player who hits the ball on the ground more frequently than anyone, defying the all-out pursuit of elevation sweeping the industry.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

Next, an interior shot, sweeping across a gleaming white room occupied by sleek screens and glass-domed beds, space-age Sleeping Beauty contraptions.

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026

My aunt was sweeping our already spotless floors with such vigor, I thought she would snap her broom.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

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

Twisting the wet cloth around the mass of sweepings, Ranofer cast about for some way to change the subject.

From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

Related Words

• across-the-board
• all-encompassing
• broad
• comprehensive
• exhaustive
• extensive
• radical
• thorough
• wholesale