sweep

Study(26)

/swiːp/

verb 5noun 5

Collocations

(noun.)

ADJ

broad, great, long, wide

From the hilltop, we could see the wide sweep of farmland stretching toward the mountains.

grand, grandiose

She made a grand sweep across the room to clear away all the broken glass.

comprehensive

The new law represents a comprehensive sweep of outdated regulations that have confused businesses for years.

upward

The dancer's arm made a graceful upward sweep as the music reached its peak.

elegant, fine, graceful

VERB + SWEEP

make, take

The police took a sweep through the neighborhood looking for the missing child.

PREP

in one ~

The new manager reorganized the entire department in one sweep.

with a ~

She cleared the flour off the counter with a sweep of her hand.

Definitions

verb

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.

To move through a (horizontal) arc or similar long stroke.

The wind sweeps across the plain.

The offended countess swept out of the ballroom.

To search (a place) methodically.

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.

Everton took that disputed lead in a moment that caused anger to sweep around the Emirates.

To play a sweep shot.

noun

A single action of sweeping.

Give the front steps a quick sweep to get rid of those fallen leaves.

The person who steers a dragon boat.

A person who stands at the stern of a surf boat, steering with a steering oar and commanding the crew.

A chimney sweep.

He was, perhaps, the English railwayman's conception of the French mécanicien - short and broad, black as a sweep even before we left Calais (but no blacker than I was on arrival at Paris) and wearing goggles and his uniform cap back to front.

A methodical search, typically for bugs (electronic listening devices).

Thesaurus

Synonyms

noun — a wide scope

expanse

noun — winning all or all but one of the tricks in bridge

slam

noun — someone who cleans soot from chimneys

chimneysweeper
chimneysweep

verb — sweep with a broom or as if with a broom

broom

verb — make a big sweeping gesture or movement

swing

verb — move with sweeping, effortless, gliding motions

sail

verb — sweep across or over

brush

verb — force into some kind of situation, condition, or course of a

verb — to cover or extend over an area or time period

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

sweep someone off their feet

To seduce someone romantically.

sweep the board

To win all the prizes in a competition.

Spadillio first, unconquerable Lord! Led off two captive Trumps, and swept the Board. As many more Manillio forc'd to yield, And march'd a Victor from the verdant Field.

sweep something under the rug

To conceal a problem (usually an embarrassing or illegal one) expediently, rather than remedy it thoroughly.

Near-synonyms: cover (sth.) up, draw a veil over (sth.)

sweep aside

To push or brush to the side.

On this section, the high five-span masonry viaduct over the Whiteadder Water, at Chirnside, withstood the flood, but four of the six spans of the bridge carrying the siding to the

sweep away

To remove something by, or as if by, sweeping.

Bridges were swept away or damaged on the Gifford and Lauder branches, both of which were closed to passengers several years ago, but remained open for goods traffic.

Example Bank

to sweep a floor, the street, or a chimney

Wiktionary

I will sweep it with the besom of destruction.

Wiktionary

The wind sweeps across the plain.

Wiktionary

Give the front steps a quick sweep to get rid of those fallen leaves.

Wiktionary

Bradman attempted a sweep, but in fact top edged the ball to the wicket keeper

Wiktionary

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, sweep is marked as figuratively. Watch for register when choosing this word.

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