sweeping

[ swee-ping ]
See synonyms for: sweepingsweepingssweepingly on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. of wide range or scope.

  2. moving or passing about over a wide area: a sweeping glance.

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

  2. (of the outcome of a contest) decisive; overwhelming; complete: a sweeping victory.

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

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

Origin of sweeping

1
First recorded in 1470–80; sweep1 + -ing2, -ing1

Other words for sweeping

Other words from sweeping

  • sweep·ing·ly, adverb

Words Nearby sweeping

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use sweeping in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sweeping

sweeping

/ (ˈswiːpɪŋ) /


adjective
  1. comprehensive and wide-ranging: sweeping reforms

  2. indiscriminate or without reservations: sweeping statements

  1. decisive or overwhelming: a sweeping victory

  2. taking in a wide area: a sweeping glance

  3. driving steadily onwards, esp over a large area: a sweeping attack

Derived forms of sweeping

  • sweepingly, adverb
  • sweepingness, noun

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