sweeping

[swee-ping]

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.

noun

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

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

sweeping

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• sweepingly adverb
• sweepingness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sweeping¹

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

Example Sentences

“You were either going to college or sweeping floors.”

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Jaw-dropping architectural touches inside the home include a sweeping grand staircase, a formal dining room, and an enormous fireplace.

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Since he took office in 2023, he has introduced deregulation and sweeping cuts to public spending to curb inflation and achieve a fiscal surplus – where the state spends less than it takes in revenue.

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Twenty years ago, the Guggenheim’s sweeping survey “Russia!” lived up to the hype.

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Officials are navigating an economy reshaped by sweeping policy experiments.

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Related Words

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