were sweeping
- past progressive of sweep.
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.
He thought about his younger self, and how impossible such a ruling would have seemed just years before — when state marriage bans were sweeping the country.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2025
One of the consequences of this larger civilizational decline was that large numbers of migrants, such as those who attacked the envoy, were sweeping across the eastern Mediterranean bringing chaos and destruction.
From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023
Andrade’s fascination with the multiplicities of Brazilian culture placed him at the center of the modernist movements that were sweeping the country in the 1920s.
From New York Times ● Apr. 7, 2023
Wind gusts were sweeping smoke through Schultz Pass toward Doney Park, and authorities said recreationists were being told to leave immediately.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 12, 2022
Frodo lay half in a dream, imagining that endless dark wings were sweeping by above him, and that on the wings rode pursuers that sought him in all the hollows of the hills.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
