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1. Dictionary

   sweep

   /swiːp/

   verb

   • 1. clean (an area) by brushing away dirt or litter: "I've swept the floor" Similar brushcleanscrubwipemopdustscourscraperakebuffvacuumhooverinformal:do
   • ▪ move or remove (dirt or litter) by brushing it away: "she swept the tea leaves into a dustpan" Similar removewash awayexpeldispose ofeliminateget rid ofbrushcleanclearwhisk
   • ▪ move or push (someone or something) with great force: "I was swept along by the crowd" Similar carrypulldragdrive
   • ▪ brush (hair) back from one's face or upwards: "long hair swept up into a high chignon"
   • ▪ hit (the ball) on the leg side by bringing the bat across the body from a half-kneeling position; hit a ball delivered by (a bowler) with such a stroke.
   • 2. move swiftly and smoothly: "a large black car swept past the open windows" Similar glidesaildashchargerushstreakspeedflyzoomswoopwhizzhurtleinformal:tear
   • ▪ cause to move swiftly and smoothly: "he swept his hand round the room"
   • ▪ (of a person) move in a confident and stately manner: "she swept magnificently from the hall" Similar glidesailstridebreezestrollsallyswaggerdriftflitflounce
   • ▪ affect (an area or place) swiftly and widely: "the rebellion had swept through all four of the country's provinces" Similar engulfoverwhelmfloodflow acrosssurge overracehurtlestreakspread like lightninginformal:tearwhip
   • ▪ (of a geographical or natural feature) extend continuously in a particular direction, especially in a curve: "green forests swept down the hillsides"
   • ▪ win all the games in (a series); take each of the winning or main places in (a contest or event): North American "we knew we had to sweep these three home games"
   • 3. search (an area) for something: "the detective swept the room for hair and fingerprints" Similar searchprobecheckexplorehunt throughlook throughdelve ingo throughsift throughscourcombgo through with a fine-tooth combleave no stone unturned in
   • ▪ examine (a place or object) for electronic listening devices: "the line is swept every fifteen minutes"
   • ▪ cover (an entire area) with a gun: "they were trying to get the Lewis gun up behind some trees from where they would sweep the trench"

   noun

   • 1. an act of sweeping something with a brush: "I was giving the floor a quick sweep"
   • ▪ short for chimney sweep
   • 2. a long, swift curving movement: "a grandiose sweep of his hand" Similar gesturemovementmoveactionstrokewave
   • ▪ the movement of a beam across the screen of a cathode ray tube.
   • ▪ an attacking stroke in which the bat is brought across the body from a half-kneeling position to hit the ball to leg.
   • 3. a procedure for inducing labour in a pregnant woman, in which a medical practitioner moves a finger around within the opening of the cervix to detach the amniotic membranes: "I went in for a sweep at 41 weeks"
   • 4. a comprehensive search or survey of a place or area: "the police finished their sweep through the woods" Similar searchhuntexplorationprobeforagepursuitquest
   • ▪ a survey of the ratings of television stations, carried out at regular intervals to determine advertising rates. North American
   • 5. a long, typically curved stretch of road, river, or land: "we could see a wide sweep of country perhaps a hundred miles across" Similar expansetractstretchspaceplainextentvastnessvista
   • ▪ a curved part of a drive in front of a building: "one fork of the drive continued on to the gravel sweep" Similar curvecurvaturebendarcarchbowturn
   • ▪ the range or scope of something: "the whole sweep of the history of the USSR" Similar rangespanscopecompassreachspreadambitremitgamutorbitspectrumspherepurviewlimitextent
   • 6. a sweepstake. informal
   • 7. an instance of winning every event, award, or place in a contest: North American "a World Series sweep"
   • 8. a long, heavy oar used to row a barge or other vessel: "a big, heavy sweep oar"
   • 9. a sail of a windmill.
   • 10. a long pole mounted as a lever for raising buckets from a well.

   Word Origin Old Englishswāpan (verb), of Germanic origin; related to German schweifen ‘sweep in a curve’.

   Scrabble Points: 10

   • S

     1

   • W

     4

   • E

     1

   • E

     1

   • P

     3

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2. www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › sweepSweep Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

   www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › sweep

   • Cached

   The meaning of SWEEP is to remove from a surface with or as if with a broom or brush. How to use sweep in a sentence. Synonym Discussion of Sweep.

3. dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › englishSWEEP | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › english

   • Cached

   SWEEP definition: 1. to clean something, especially a floor by using a brush to collect the dirt into one place from…. Learn more.

4. www.dictionary.com › browse › sweepSWEEP Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

   www.dictionary.com › browse › sweep

   • Cached

   to move or remove (dust, dirt, etc.) with or as if with a broom, brush, or the like. to clear or clean (a floor, room, chimney, etc.) of dirt, litter, or the like, by means of a broom or brush. to drive or carry by some steady force, as of a wind or wave: The wind swept the snow into drifts.

5. www.thefreedictionary.com › sweepSweep - definition of sweep by The Free Dictionary

   www.thefreedictionary.com › sweep

   • Cached

   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.

6. www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › englishSWEEP definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

   www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › english

   • Cached

   If you refer to the sweep of something, you are indicating that it includes a large number of different events, qualities, or opinions.

7. dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionarySWEEP | definition in the Cambridge Learner’s Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionary

   • Cached

   SWEEP meaning: 1. to clean the floor using a brush: 2. to be pushed or carried along, often by something strong…. Learn more.

8. www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › definition › american_englishsweep verb - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes...

   www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › definition › american_english

   • Cached

   Definition of sweep verb in Oxford Advanced American Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

9. www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › sweepSweep - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com

   www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › sweep

   sweep. 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.

10. en.wiktionary.org › wiki › sweepsweep - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

    en.wiktionary.org › wiki › sweep

    • Cached

    Jun 15, 2024 · A flow of water parallel to shore caused by wave action at an ocean beach or at a point or headland. ( aviation) The degree to which an aircraft 's wings are angled backwards (or, occasionally, forwards) from their attachments to the fuselage . The MiG-17's inner wing has 45 degrees of sweep.

11. www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › definition › englishsweep noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes...

    www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › definition › english

    • Cached

    to remove all the people or things from an organization that are thought to be unnecessary or need changing. The new manager made a clean sweep of the department. to win all the prizes or parts of a game or competition; to win an election completely. China made a clean sweep of the medals in the gymnastics events.