sweep

¹ American  

[sweep] / swip /

verb (used with object)

• sweeps,
  present (3rd person singular)
• swept,
  past participle,  past
• sweeping
  present participle

1. to move or remove (dust, dirt, etc.) with or as if with a broom, brush, or the like.

2. to clear or clean (a floor, room, chimney, etc.) of dirt, litter, or the like, by means of a broom or brush.

3. to drive or carry by some steady force, as of a wind or wave.

   The wind swept the snow into drifts.

4. to pass or draw (something) over a surface with a continuous stroke or movement.

   The painter swept a brush over his canvas.

5. to make (a path, opening, etc.) by clearing a space with or as if with a broom.

6. to clear (a surface, place, etc.) of something on or in it (often followed byof ).

   to sweep a sea of enemy ships.

7. to pass over (a surface, region, etc.) with a steady, driving movement or unimpeded course, as winds, floods, etc..

   sandstorms sweeping the plains.

8. to search (an area or building) thoroughly.

   Soldiers swept the town, looking for deserters.

9. to pass the gaze, eyes, etc., over (a region, area, etc.).

   His eyes swept the countryside.

10. to direct (the eyes, gaze, etc.) over a region, surface, or the like.

    He swept his eyes over the countryside.

11. to examine electronically, as to search for a hidden listening device.

12. to win a complete or overwhelming victory in (a contest).

    Johnson swept the presidential election of 1964.

13. to win (every game, round, hand, etc., of a series of contests).

    The Yankees swept the three-game series.

14. Music.

    1. to pass the fingers or bow over (a musical instrument, its strings or keys, etc.), as in playing.

    2. to bring forth (music) thus.

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verb (used without object)

• sweeps,
  present (3rd person singular)
• swept,
  past participle,  past
• sweeping
  present participle

1. to sweep a floor, room, etc., with or as if with a broom.

   The new broom sweeps well.

2. to move steadily and strongly or swiftly (usually followed by along, down, by, into, etc.).

3. to move or pass in a swift but stately manner.

   Proudly, she swept from the room.

4. to move, pass, or extend in a continuous course, especially a wide curve or circuit.

   His glance swept around the room.

5. to conduct an underwater search by towing a drag under the surface of the water.

6. Aeronautics. (of an airfoil or its leading or trailing edge) to project from the fuselage at an angle rearward or forward of a line perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft.

noun

1. the act of sweeping, especially a moving, removing, clearing, etc., by or as if by the use of a broom.

   to give the house a good sweep.

2. the steady, driving motion or swift onward course of something moving with force or without interruption.

   the sweep of the wind and the waves.

3. an examination by electronic detection devices of a room or building to determine the presence of hidden listening devices.

4. a swinging or curving movement or stroke, as of the arm, a weapon, an oar, etc.

5. reach, range, or compass, as of something sweeping about.

   the sweep of a road about a marsh.

6. a continuous extent or stretch.

   a broad sweep of sand.

7. a curving, especially widely or gently curving, line, form, part, or mass.

8. matter removed or gathered by sweeping.

9. Also called well sweep.  a leverlike device for raising or lowering a bucket in a well.

10. a large oar used in small vessels, sometimes to assist the rudder or to propel the craft.

11. an overwhelming victory in a contest.

12. a winning of all the games, rounds, hands, prizes, etc., in a contest by one contestant.

13. Football. end run.

14. one of the sails of a windmill.

15. Agriculture. any of the detachable triangular blades on a cultivator.

16. Chiefly British. a person employed to clean by sweeping, especially a chimney sweeper.

17. Cards.

    1. Whist. the winning of all the tricks in a hand.

    2. Casino. a pairing or combining, and hence taking, of all the cards on the board.

18. Physics. an irreversible process tending towards thermal equilibrium.

sweep ² American  

[sweep] / swip /

noun

Slang.

1. a sweepstakes.

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sweep British  

/ swiːp /

verb

1. to clean or clear (a space, chimney, etc) with a brush, broom, etc

2. (often foll by up) to remove or collect (dirt, rubbish, etc) with a brush, broom, etc

3. to move in a smooth or continuous manner, esp quickly or forcibly

   cars swept along the road

4. to move in a proud or dignified fashion

   she swept past

5. to spread or pass rapidly across, through, or along (a region, area, etc)

   the news swept through the town

6. (tr) to direct (the gaze, line of fire, etc) over; survey

7. (tr; foll by away or off) to overwhelm emotionally

   she was swept away by his charm

8. (tr) to brush or lightly touch (a surface, etc)

   the dress swept along the ground

9. to convey, clear, or abolish, esp with strong or continuous movements

   the sea swept the sandcastle away

   secondary modern schools were swept away

10. (intr) to extend gracefully or majestically, esp in a wide circle

    the plains sweep down to the sea

11. to search (a body of water) for mines, etc, by dragging

12. to search (a room, area, etc) electronically to detect spying devices

13. (tr) to win overwhelmingly, esp in an election

    Labour swept the country

14. cricket to play (a ball) with a sweep

15. (tr) to propel (a boat) with sweeps

16. to conceal (something, esp a problem) in the hope that it will be overlooked by others

17. 1. (in gambling) to win all the cards or money

    2. to win every event or prize in a contest

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noun

1. the act or an instance of sweeping; removal by or as if by a brush or broom

2. a swift or steady movement, esp in an arc

   with a sweep of his arms

3. the distance, arc, etc, through which something, such as a pendulum, moves

4. a wide expanse or scope

   the sweep of the plains

5. any curving line or contour

6. cards

   1. the winning of every trick in a hand of whist

   2. the taking, by pairing, of all exposed cards in cassino

7. short for sweepstake

8. cricket a shot in which the ball is hit more or less square on the leg side from a half-kneeling position with the bat held nearly horizontal

9. 1. a long oar used on an open boat

   2. a person steering a surf boat with such an oar

10. any of the sails of a windmill

11. electronics a steady horizontal or circular movement of an electron beam across or around the fluorescent screen of a cathode-ray tube

12. agriculture

    1. a rakelike attachment for the front of a motor vehicle for pushing hay into piles

    2. a triangular blade on a cultivator used to cut through roots below the surface of the soil

13. a curving driveway

14. See chimney sweep

15. another name for swipe

16. 1. an overwhelming victory or success

    2. a complete change; purge

       to make a clean sweep

sweep Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing sweep

• (sweep) off someone's feet
• make a clean sweep
• new broom sweeps clean

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• sweepable
  adjective
• sweepy
  adjective
• unsweepable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• sweeping
  present
• swept
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• sweep
  simple
• sweeps
  simple
• have swept
  perfect
• has swept
  perfect
• am sweeping
  progressive
• are sweeping
  progressive
• is sweeping
  progressive
• have been sweeping
  perfect progressive
• has been sweeping
  perfect progressive

Past

• swept
  simple
• had swept
  perfect
• was sweeping
  progressive
• were sweeping
  progressive
• had been sweeping
  perfect progressive

Future

• will sweep
  simple
• will have swept
  perfect
• will be sweeping
  progressive
• will have been sweeping
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of sweep¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English swepen (verb); compare Old English geswēpa “sweepings,” derivative of swāpan “to sweep” or directly from obsolete English swope ); cognate with German schweifen

Origin of sweep²

By shortening

Explanation

When you use a broom to clean the floor, you sweep. You also sweep when you move in a smooth, confident way, like when you sweep onto the dance floor in a dazzling new outfit. A barber sweeps up hair from the the barber shop floor, and your melodramatic brother sweeps his homework off his desk with his arm when he's frustrated. You can also use sweepfor things that move fast, like a car sweeping down a driveway or fire that sweeps through a forest. Informally, sweep also means "to win every contest," like when your favorite team sweeps the World Series. This usage comes from an older meaning, "winning all hands in a card game."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sweep sweeps swept sweeping

Director Alex Myers has seen teens try to sweep without touching the broom to the floor; he has to intervene to correct them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

Conservatives in the Western Hemisphere have been gratified by the center-right sweep in Latin American presidential elections since 2023.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

There, dark and bright features sweep across the planet's upper sulfuric acid clouds.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026

Instead, the players will return on Friday, when England will complete a 3-0 series clean sweep.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

My folks and the Levinsons close in around me, and together we sweep past the sheriff and the vlogger into the school.

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman

Whatever: This is what appeared in the Feb. 20, 1985 edition of the Oakland Tribune, quoting a UC Berkeley professor about a protest against immigration sweeps in the Bay Area.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

One especially important clue came from signs of so-called 'genome-wide selective sweeps.'

From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026

The advent of new AI video-generation technology is again a major topic of conversation at Venice as change sweeps through the industry.

From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026

The harvester sweeps along, filling a large trailer with cider apples that Neil and his team have spent all year trying to grow, only to throw away.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

She sweeps what she can into the trash.

From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti

As the story swept through China, the nation cycled through three collective reactions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

Barrera was not accused of sexual misconduct but was swept out of office alongside Kasparian in 2018.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

They have recently attacked government-held areas in Hodeida and Taiz provinces and swept down the coast, seizing the port city of Mocha and Zuqar island, north of the Bab al-Mandab, on Thursday.

From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026

Waves approaching two meters then swept over the beaches.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026

Akira hoped there hadn’t been anyone inside when the fire swept through.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

On the second level, a chef’s kitchen with high-end stainless appliances, a center island, and sweeping ocean views is poised to inspire impressive culinary endeavors.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026

But a sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing on Hong Kong in 2020 after huge pro-democracy protests has stymied dissent in the financial hub.

From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026

"The set design was highly cinematic, with a monumental staircase sweeping up one side and a moon dominating the stage, while the backdrop appeared to have a stark, almost brutalist gray texture."

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

During Kaur’s tenure as chief financial officer, CEO Elhedery undertook a sweeping overhaul of the business.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

She stopped sweeping and thrust her chin at me.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Related Words

• pass
• sail
• tear