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1. Dictionary

   sweep

   /swēp/

   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 sweeping: "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 upward: "long hair swept up into a high chignon"
   • 2. move swiftly and smoothly: "a large black car swept past the open windows" Similar glidesaildashchargerushstreakspeedflyzoomswoopwhizhurtleinformal:tear
   • ▪ cause to move swiftly and smoothly: "he swept his hand around 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.
   • 3. a procedure for inducing labor 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 broadcast 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 driveway in front of a building: "one fork of the driveway 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

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   • P

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

   www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › sweep

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   Learn the various meanings and uses of the word sweep as a verb and a noun, with synonyms, examples, and etymology. Find out how to sweep a surface, a game, a range, or a movement.

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

   dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › english

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   Learn the meaning of sweep as a verb and a noun, with synonyms, antonyms, idioms, and phrasal verbs. See how to use sweep in different contexts, such as cleaning, moving, removing, winning, and cricket.

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

   www.dictionary.com › browse › sweep

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

   www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › english

   • Cached

   Learn the various meanings and uses of the word sweep as a verb and a noun, with examples and synonyms. Sweep can mean to clean, clear, remove, move, win, or form a curve.

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

   www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › sweep

   A barber sweeps up hair from the the barber shop floor, and your melodramatic brother sweeps his homework off his desk with his arm when he's frustrated. You can also use sweep for things that move fast, like a car sweeping down a driveway or fire that sweeps through a forest.

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

   www.thefreedictionary.com › sweep

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   Learn the meaning and usage of the word sweep in different contexts, such as cleaning, clearing, moving, winning, or extending. Find synonyms, idioms, and related terms for sweep in this comprehensive online dictionary.

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

   www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › definition › american_english

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   [intransitive, transitive] (of weather, fire, etc.) to move suddenly and/or with force over an area or in a particular direction + adv./prep. Rain swept in through the broken windows. A fire swept through the store on Tuesday night. sweep something Strong winds regularly sweep the islands. of a person.