sweep
UK /swiːp/ · US /swip/ verb, noun
- verb (transitive) To clean (a surface) by means of a stroking motion of a broom or brush.
- verb (intransitive) To move through a (horizontal) arc or similar long stroke. “The wind sweeps across the plain.”
- verb (transitive) To search (a place) methodically.
- verb (intransitive, figuratively) To travel quickly.
- verb (cricket) To play a sweep shot.
- verb (curling) To brush the ice in front of a moving stone, causing it to travel farther and to curl less.
- verb (transitive, ergative) To move something in a long sweeping motion, as a broom.
- verb (sports, transitive) To win (a series) without drawing or losing any of the games in that series.
- noun A single action of sweeping. “Give the front steps a quick sweep to get rid of those fallen leaves.”
- noun The person who steers a dragon boat.
- noun A person who stands at the stern of a surf boat, steering with a steering oar and commanding the crew.
- noun A chimney sweep.
- noun A methodical search, typically for bugs (electronic listening devices).
- noun (cricket) A batsman's shot, played from a kneeling position with a swinging horizontal bat. “Bradman attempted a sweep, but in fact top edged the ball to the wicket keeper”
- noun A lottery, usually on the results of a sporting event, where players win if their randomly chosen team wins. “Jim will win fifty dollars in the office sweep if Japan wins the World Cup.”
- noun A flow of water parallel to shore caused by wave action at an ocean beach or at a point or headland.
Synonyms
swing They've swept to power with an overwhelming majority. expanse chimneysweeper chimneysweep slam sweep oar end run brush sail broom embroil tangle sweep up drag drag in cross traverse span swing out
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.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To pass a broom across (a surface) so as to remove loose dirt, dust, etc.; to brush, or rub over, with a broom for the purpose of cleaning; as, to sweep a floor, the street, or a chimney. Used also figuratively.
- verb To drive or carry along or off with a broom or a brush, or as if with a broom; to remove by, or as if by, brushing; as, to sweep dirt from a floor; the wind sweeps the snow from the hills; a freshet sweeps away a dam, timber, or rubbish; a pestilence sweeps off multitudes.
- verb To clean rooms, yards, etc., or to clear away dust, dirt, litter, etc., with a broom, brush, or the like.
- verb To brush swiftly over the surface of anything; to pass with switness and force, as if brushing the surface of anything; to move in a stately manner; as, the wind sweeps across the plain; a woman sweeps through a drawing-room.
Etymology [OE. swepen; akin to AS. swapan. See Swoop, v. i.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “sweep”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details