swept
Americanverb
adjective
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of swept
First recorded in 1550–60, for the adjective
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.
The tornado that transported Dorothy Gale from dusty Kansas to vibrant Oz might have swept up the village idiot instead.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
The January 2025 wildfires that swept through Pacific Palisades wreaked devastation practically beyond belief, destroying more than 5,600 homes and businesses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
The company’s newest Gemini 3 model swept industry benchmarks, beating out rivals OpenAI and Anthropic in performance after getting a late start to the large-language-model race.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
The deluge comes after a series of storms swept through Japan and neighbouring countries this week, in what's been forecast to be an unusually active typhoon season.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
It was thousands of acres that a fire had swept through.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
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.
