sweep
verbAU, IN, NZ, UK /swiːp/ · CA, US, SC /swip/
Etymology From Middle English swepen, from Proto-West Germanic *swaipijan (unattested in Old English), from Proto-Germanic *swaipijaną. Cognate with Early Modern West Frisian swiepe (“whip, cleanse, sweep”), from Old Frisian swēpa, suepa (“sweep”). More distantly related to Old Norse sveipa (whence Swedish svepa). See also swoop.
18 senses
- 1To clean (a surface) by means of a stroking motion of a…
- 2To move through a (horizontal) arc or similar long stroke.
- 3To search (a place) methodically.
- 4To travel quickly.
- 5To play a sweep shot.
- 6To brush the ice in front of a moving stone, causing it…
- 7To move something in a long sweeping motion, as a broom.
- 8To win (a series) without drawing or losing any of the…
- 9To defeat (a team) in a series without drawing or losing…
- 10To clear (a body of water or part thereof) of mines.
- 11To remove something abruptly and thoroughly.
- 12To brush against or over; to rub lightly along.
- 13To carry with a long, swinging, or dragging motion…
- 14To strike with a long stroke.
- 15To row with one oar to either the port or starboard side.
- 16To draw or drag something over.
- 17To pass over, or traverse, with the eye or with an…
- 18To vacuum a carpet or rug.
To clean (a surface) by means of a stroking motion of a broom or brush.
- to sweep a floor, the street, or a chimney
- I will sweep it with the besom of destruction.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Isaiah 14:23:
To move through a (horizontal) arc or similar long stroke.
- The wind sweeps across the plain.
- The offended countess swept out of the ballroom.
1 more example
- [H]as the course of the argument so accustomed you to agreeing that you were swept by it into a ready assent?2005, Lesley Brown, Sophist, translation of original by Plato, page 236d:
To search (a place) methodically.
Figuratively To travel quickly.
- Drifting thus, we made fast time down the bank through Cove Bay, and at 72 m.p.h. came sweeping round the curve past Girdleness light house, and so to the first sight of Aberdeen itself.1947 January and February, O. S. Nock, “"The Aberdonian" in Wartime”, in Railway Magazine, page 9:
- Everton took that disputed lead in a moment that caused anger to sweep around the Emirates.2011 February 1, Phil McNulty, “Arsenal 2-1 Everton”, in BBC:
Ball games, Cricket, Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports To play a sweep shot.
Ball games, Curling, Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports To brush the ice in front of a moving stone, causing it to travel farther and to curl less.
Ergative To move something in a long sweeping motion, as a broom.
Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports To win (a series) without drawing or losing any of the games in that series.
Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports To defeat (a team) in a series without drawing or losing any of the games in that series.
Government, Military, Politics, War To clear (a body of water or part thereof) of mines.
- The channel was swept twice before the battlefleet proceeded through it.
To remove something abruptly and thoroughly.
- She swept the peelings off the table onto the floor.
- The wind sweeps the snow from the hills.
2 more examples
- The flooded river swept away the wooden dam.
- In his submission to the UN, [Christof] Heyns points to the experience of drones. Unmanned aerial vehicles were intended initially only for surveillance, and their use for offensive purposes was prohibited, yet once strategists realised their perceived advantages as a means of carrying out targeted killings, all objections were swept out of the way.2013 June 7, Ed Pilkington, “‘Killer robots’ should be banned in advance, UN told”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 6:
To brush against or over; to rub lightly along.
- Their long descending train, / With rubies edg'd and sapphires, swept the plain.1700, [John] Dryden, “The Flower and the Leaf: Or, The Lady in the Arbour. A Vision.”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
- Mind you, clothes were clothes in those days. […] Frills, ruffles, flounces, lace, complicated seams and gores: not only did they sweep the ground and have to be held up in one hand elegantly as you walked along, but they had little capes or coats or feather boas.1977, Agatha Christie, chapter 4, in An Autobiography, part II, London: Collins, →ISBN:
To carry with a long, swinging, or dragging motion; hence, to carry in a stately or proud fashion.
- And like a peacock sweep along his tail.1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii]:
To strike with a long stroke.
- Deſcend ye nine! deſcend and ſing; / The breathing inſtruments inſpire, / VVake into voice each ſilent ſtring, / And ſvveep the ſounding lyre!1687 (date written), Alexander Pope, “Ode for Musick on St. Cecilia’s Day”, in The Works of Mr. Alexander Pope, volume I, London: […] W[illiam] Bowyer, for Bernard Lintot, […], →OCLC, canto I, page 371:
To pass over, or traverse, with the eye or with an instrument of observation.
- to sweep the heavens with a telescope
- O5-8 does an impressive job of controlling himself, keeping his attention focused on Marion. Clay doesn't fare so well, and quickly sweeps the whole room, even checking behind his back. Making an ass of himself, essentially. He finds nothing. He looks baffled.2008–2021, qntm, “We Need To Talk About Fifty-Five”, in There Is No Antimemetics Division, →ISBN, page 13:
Pennsylvania, Western To vacuum a carpet or rug.
Ohio; Indiana; Ohio; Indiana
- Derived terms
27 terms
asweep, bisweptual, downsweep, ensweep, new brooms sweep clean, oversweep, resweep, sweepable, sweepage, sweep along, sweep aside, sweep away, sweepback, sweepboat, sweep-chimney, sweeper, sweep in, sweep out, sweep someone off their feet, sweep something under the carpet, sweep something under the rug, sweep the board, sweep the deck, sweep the floor with someone, sweep up, sweepy, upsweep