- sweep
- [[t]swi͟ːp[/t]]
♦♦♦1) VERB If you sweep an area of floor or ground, you push dirt or rubbish off it using a brush with a long handle.
[V n] The owner of the store was sweeping his floor when I walked in...
[V n prep/adv] She was in the kitchen sweeping crumbs into a dust pan...
Norma picked up the broom and began sweeping. [Also V n with adv]
2) VERB If you sweep things off something, you push them off with a quick smooth movement of your arm.[V n prep/adv] I swept rainwater off the flat top of a gravestone...
[V n prep/adv] With a gesture of frustration, she swept the cards from the table...
[V n prep/adv] `Thanks friend,' he said, while sweeping the money into his pocket.
3) VERB If someone with long hair sweeps their hair into a particular style, they put it into that style.[V n prep/adv] ...stylish ways of sweeping your hair off your face...
[V-ed] Her long, fine hair was swept back in a ponytail.
4) V-ERG If your arm or hand sweeps in a particular direction, or if you sweep it there, it moves quickly and smoothly in that direction.[V prep/adv] His arm swept around the room...
[V n prep/adv] Daniels swept his arm over his friend's shoulder.
[V-ing] ...the long sweeping arm movements of a violinist.
N-COUNTSweep is also a noun.With one sweep of her hand she threw back the sheets.
5) VERB If wind, a stormy sea, or another strong force sweeps someone or something along, it moves them quickly along.[V n prep/adv] ...landslides that buried homes and swept cars into the sea...
[V n prep/adv] Suddenly, she was swept along by the crowd.
6) VERB If you are swept somewhere, you are taken there very quickly.[be V-ed prep/adv] The visitors were swept past various monuments...
[V n prep/adv] A limousine swept her along the busy freeway to the airport.
7) VERB If something sweeps from one place to another, it moves there extremely quickly. [WRITTEN][V prep/adv] An icy wind swept through the streets...
[V prep/adv] The car swept past the gate house.
8) VERB If events, ideas, or beliefs sweep through a place, they spread quickly through it.[V through/across n] A flu epidemic is sweeping through Moscow.
[V n] ...the wave of patriotism sweeping the country.
9) VERB If someone sweeps into a place, they walk into it in a proud confident way, often when they are angry. [WRITTEN][V prep/adv] She swept into the conference room...
[V prep/adv] Scarlet with rage, she swept past her employer and stormed up the stairs...
[V prep/adv] The Chief turned and swept out.
10) VERB If a person or thing sweeps something away or aside, they remove it quickly and completely.[V n with adv] The commission's conclusions sweep away a decade of denials and cover-ups...
[V n with adv] In times of war, governments often sweep human rights aside...
[V n prep] He swept the names from his mind.
11) VERB If lights or someone's eyes sweep an area, they move across the area from side to side. [mainly WRITTEN][V n] Helicopters with searchlights swept the park which was sealed off...
[V prep/adv] Her gaze sweeps rapidly around the room.
12) VERB If land or water sweeps somewhere, it stretches out in a long, wide, curved shape.[V prep/adv] The land sweeps away from long areas of greenery.
[V prep/adv] ...the arc of countries that sweeps down from South Korea to Indonesia.
The ground fell away in a broad sweep down to the river.
...the great sweep of the bay.
14) VERB If a person or group sweeps an election or sweeps to victory, they win the election easily.[V n] ...a man who's promised to make radical changes to benefit the poor has swept the election...
[V to n] In both republics, centre-right parties swept to power, defeating the communists.
[V n to n] ...voters nostalgic for the free-spending policies of the 1980s swept his Socialists back to power.
[V-ing] ...a sweeping victory.
15) N-COUNT: usu sing If someone makes a sweep of a place, they search it, usually because they are looking for people who are hiding or for an illegal activity.Two of the soldiers swiftly began making a sweep of the premises...
There may be periodic police `sweeps' of crime in the area.
16) N-SING: with supp If you refer to the sweep of something, you are indicating that it includes a large number of different events, qualities, or opinions....the whole sweep of German social and political history.
17) → See also , chimney sweep18) PHRASE: V inflects If someone sweeps something bad or wrong under the carpet, or if they sweep it under the rug, they try to prevent people from hearing about it.For a long time this problem has been swept under the carpet.
19) PHRASE: PHR n, usu v PHR If you make a clean sweep of something such as a series of games or tournaments, you win them all....the first club to make a clean sweep of all three trophies.
20) PHRASE: V inflects If someone sweeps you off your feet, you fall in love with them very quickly because you find them very attractive or exciting.I was swept off my feet. I had always dreamed of being an officer's wife.
Phrasal Verbs:- sweep up
English dictionary. 2008.
