# sweep

Pronunciation: say "SWEEP" US /swip/, UK/AUS /swiːp/

## Verb

1. To clean a surface by moving a broom or brush across it in strokes.
   - Simple: To clean a floor or surface using a broom or brush.
   - _He swept the workshop floor at the end of every shift._
   - _Volunteers sweep the temple courtyard each morning._
2. To move something across or through space in one long, smooth stroke, the way a broom does.
   - Simple: To move something across a space or through the air in one long motion.
   - _The conductor swept his baton in a wide arc._
   - _Dancers sweep their arms overhead in unison._
3. To move in a wide, usually horizontal arc or in some other long, continuous stroke.
   - Simple: To move in a long, smooth curve across a space or through the air.
   - _Her gaze swept over the assembled crowd._
   - _The headlights sweep across the wall as cars turn the corner._
4. To carry off or remove something abruptly and completely.
   - Simple: To remove something quickly and completely.
   - _The current swept the small boat downstream._
   - _Reforms sweep the old rules aside almost overnight._
6. To travel quickly and smoothly across an area, as if gliding.
   - Simple: To move quickly and smoothly across or through a place.
   - _The motorcade swept down the avenue toward the capital._
   - _Cold fronts sweep in from the north each winter._
7. To search a place thoroughly and in an organized, step-by-step way.
   - Simple: To search a place carefully and completely.
   - _Investigators swept the apartment for clues._
   - _Security teams sweep the stadium before every major event._
9. To win a series of games without losing or tying any of them.
   - Simple: To win every game in a series, with no losses or ties.
   - _The Red Sox swept the championship series last October._
   - _Top seeds often sweep the early rounds of the tournament._
10. To defeat a team in every game of a series without losing or tying any.
   - Simple: To beat a team in every game of a series, with no losses or ties.
   - _The home side swept their opponents in three straight matches._
   - _Underdogs rarely sweep the league leaders._
12. To pass the eye or an observing instrument across an area, scanning its full extent.
   - Simple: To look across or scan an area with your eyes or a viewing device.
   - _The lookout swept the sea with his telescope, searching for sails._
   - _Radar operators sweep the airspace for incoming aircraft._
13. To brush against or move lightly over a surface, rubbing along it.
   - Simple: To brush or rub lightly against a surface while moving.
   - _The curtain swept across her shoulders in the breeze._
   - _Low branches sweep the water as the boat glides past._
14. To strike something with a long, smooth stroke.
   - Simple: To hit something with one long, smooth swing.
   - _The batsman swept the delivery to the boundary._
   - _Skilled players sweep the ball cleanly off their pads._
15. To carry something with a long, swinging motion, or to move in a grand, stately manner.
   - Simple: To carry or move something in a long, grand, flowing way.
   - _The queen swept her train across the marble hall._
   - _Performers sweep their long capes behind them as they bow._
24. To play a sweep shot in cricket, kneeling and swinging a horizontal bat across the ball.
   - Simple: To hit the ball in cricket while kneeling and swinging the bat sideways.
   - _Good players sweep confidently against slow bowling._
   - _She chose to sweep, dropping to one knee as the ball turned._
25. To make a moving curling stone travel farther and curve less by brushing the ice in its path.
   - Simple: To brush the ice in front of a sliding stone so it travels farther and curves less.
   - _Two players sweep furiously as the skip shouts instructions._
   - _They sweep the ice ahead of the stone to control its speed and path._
27. To clean a carpet or rug by vacuuming it. *(dialectal, Pennsylvania, Western)*
   - Simple: To clean a carpet or rug using a vacuum cleaner.
   - _She asked her son to sweep the hallway rug, so he dragged the vacuum out of the closet._
   - _The cleaning crew sweeps the office carpets each night, and you can hear the vacuums humming down the hall._
29. To rid all or part of a sea, lake, or other stretch of water of mines.
   - Simple: To clear mines out of an area of water to make it safe.
   - _Minehunters sweep the strait to ensure safe passage for the fleet._
   - _Engineers worked for weeks to sweep the bay of wartime mines._

## Noun

5. A single movement made when sweeping or brushing across a surface or through the air.
   - Simple: One movement of a broom, brush, or hand across something.
   - _A single sweep of the wipers cleared the windshield._
   - _She gathered the scattered cards into a pile with one quick sweep._
8. An organized search of a place, typically to find hidden electronic listening devices.
   - Simple: A careful search of a place to find hidden listening devices.
   - _The embassy scheduled a sweep of every room before the summit._
   - _A routine sweep turned up two concealed transmitters._
11. A worker who cleans soot and ash from the inside of chimneys.
   - Simple: A person whose job is to clean the inside of chimneys.
   - _The village sweep climbed onto the roof with his brushes._
   - _An experienced sweep checks the flue for cracks as well as soot._
16. Violent, wide-ranging destruction that affects everything across a given area.
   - Simple: Wide, forceful damage that destroys almost everything in an area.
   - _The storm's sweep flattened entire neighborhoods overnight._
   - _Nothing survived the sweep of the advancing wildfire._
17. A broad expanse or strip of land stretching across an area.
   - Simple: A wide, open area of land that stretches out in one piece.
   - _Beyond the gate lay a vast sweep of open grassland._
   - _The estate included a long sweep of wooded hillside._
18. A lottery, usually on a sporting event, in which players win if the team they were randomly assigned wins.
   - Simple: A betting game where each player gets a random team and wins if that team wins.
   - _Every spring our coworkers organize a sweep on the basketball finals._
   - _He collected the whole pot after winning the office sweep._
19. The way a curve, road, or arch bends and departs from a straight line.
   - Simple: The gentle curving shape of a road, arch, or line as it bends away from straight.
   - _Architects emphasized the long sweep of the staircase as it curved upward._
   - _The bridge's sweep carried the lane in a smooth arc across the valley._
20. The full range or extent covered by a turning body or by any motion.
   - Simple: The full reach or distance covered by something as it turns or moves.
   - _The radar's sweep extends for several miles in every direction._
   - _The dancer's movements filled the whole sweep of the stage._
21. A move in wrestling and martial arts that takes an opponent down chiefly by striking or hooking their legs with one's own.
   - Simple: A move that knocks an opponent down by using your legs against their legs.
   - _The judoka scored with a clean sweep that took his opponent's feet from under him._
   - _Her favorite sweep targeted the lead leg before her opponent could set his stance._
22. The degree to which an aircraft's wings are angled backward, or sometimes forward, from where they join the fuselage.
   - Simple: How far back an airplane's wings are angled from the body.
   - _Designers increased the wing sweep to reduce drag at high speeds._
   - _The new airliner's sweep gives it better performance near the speed of sound._
23. A cricket stroke made with the batter down on one knee, swinging the bat around horizontally.
   - Simple: A cricket shot played while kneeling, swinging the bat sideways near the ground.
   - _The batsman brought out the sweep against the spinner and scored four._
   - _A daring sweep against the fast bowler nearly cost him his wicket._
26. Singular of sweeps. Less common than sweeps, which is usual even for a single ratings period. *(US)* — singular of sweeps (“viewership ratings”)
   - Simple: Singular of sweeps. Less common: most people say sweeps even for one ratings period.
   - _Producers moved the season finale into the November sweep to boost ratings._
   - _Each sweep helps stations decide what to charge advertisers._
28. A flow of water running parallel to the shore, caused by wave action at a beach, point, or headland.
   - Simple: A current of water that moves along a beach, sideways to the shore, made by waves.
   - _Lifeguards warned us about the sweep running along the point._
   - _The sweep dragged loose sand steadily past the headland._
30. Any one of the large blades, or sails, of a windmill.
   - Simple: One of the large blades of a windmill that catches the wind and turns.
   - _A loose sweep clattered against the mill's wooden frame._
   - _The miller climbed up to repair a damaged sweep._

## Other meanings

- (verb) In rowing, to pull a single oar held on one side of the boat only, either port or starboard.
- (verb) To go over the bottom of a river, harbor or other area by dragging a net, hook or line across it.
- (noun) The crew member standing at the back of a dragon boat who guides it with a long oar.
- (noun) In surf lifesaving, the crew leader at the back of the boat who guides it with a long oar and calls orders to the rowers.
- (noun) In foundry work, a shaped board that is moved around to form a loam mold.
- (noun) In the card game casino, a play that clears every exposed card off the table at once.
- (noun) A long, heavy oar on a small boat that serves both for rowing and for steering.
- (noun) Rowing in which every crew member pulls a single oar placed on one side, the opposite of sculling.
- (noun) A furnace used by refiners to recover metal from waste, also called an almond furnace.
- (noun) A long beam pivoting on top of a tall post, used to lift a bucket of water up out of a well.
- (noun) Dust and scraps swept up in workshops that handle gold or silver, kept because they contain bits of the metal.
- (noun) One of a group of sea chub fishes of the subfamily Scorpidinae, many of them found around Australia.

## Origin

From Middle English swepen, from Proto-West Germanic *swaipijan and Proto-Germanic *swaipijaną. It is cognate with West Frisian swiepe (“whip, cleanse, sweep”) and more distantly related to Old Norse sveipa; compare also swoop.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/sweep (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).