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💨 To force suddenly 🌬️ To move smoothly ↩️ A broad movement 🧹 To clean with broom 🌄 To cover widely 🏆 To win easily 🃏 Win all tricks 🏈 A running play 🧑‍🔧 A chimney cleaner 🚣 A long oar
to sweep

to sweep

131 2.1
To move quickly and smoothly in a wide motion
  • verb
  • /swiːp/
: hacer un amplio gesto
  • As the roller coaster approached the top, it began to sweep down the steep track.

A wind came across the ocean, sweeping with it a pall of fine white ash.

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Examples

  • Losing power, the Toya Maru was carried off her course and swept toward the shore southwest of Hakodate.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Outside the windscreen, the rain swept in almost solid sheets across the roadway.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • And then I'm going to sweep from the top to the bottom.

  • Sweep the area, and stick together.

    Crocodile Dundee II (1988)

  • Let's stop there and sweep upwards.

  • Why don't you sweep the area?

    Camel Spiders (2011)

  • And now I'm just going to sweep and blend that in with a fluffy brush.

  • Megan is doing a lot of dancing with sweeping arm movements around the space while holding the maraca.

    Academic text (2015)

  • In 1949, when troops of the People's Liberation Army swept southward, they could easily have overrun Hong Kong.

    Academic text (1999)

  • The kite soared high as the wind began to sweep across the field.

Synonyms

to brush
vsto sweep
209 1.0

To move a brush across something to clean or paint it

moves in wide gestures for many purposes rather than mainly for cleaning
to gesture
vsto sweep
82 3.0

To move a hand to show or ask for something

moves in wide smooth actions often without intending to communicate
to swipe
vsto sweep
79 3.0

To move a finger, card, or hand across a surface to reveal options

moves in broad gestures across areas not only for cards or screens
to glide
vsto sweep
78 2.9

To move smoothly and without effort through the air or over a surface

moves with a wide often quick motion rather than just effortless travel
to whisk
vsto sweep
47 3.4

To move someone or something quickly and lightly

moves in broader stronger motions rather than only light quick actions
to sail
vsto sweep
39 1.0

To move smoothly and easily through the air or over a surface

moves in wide gestures rather than only effortless motion
to swish
vsto sweep
19 4.1

To move with a soft hissing or rustling sound in a smooth sweep

moves smoothly without implying a hissing or whistling sound
to swoop
vsto sweep
13 3.2

To move quickly in a smooth curve from a higher to a lower place

moves in wide smooth motions rather than typically downward from above
to swing out
vsto sweep
7 3.9

To move outward in a wide, sweeping motion

moves widely in different directions rather than only outward
to pass over
vsto sweep
2 3.7

To move something gently over a surface

moves in broad arcs rather than only rubbing a surface

Antonyms

to hesitate
301 2.5

To pause before saying or doing something because you feel unsure

Idioms

to sweep under the rug
  • Informal
26 7.7

To hide a problem instead of dealing with it openly

Phrasal Verbs

to sweep away
43 3.8

To get rid of something completely so it no longer exists

to sweep off
  • Informal
31 5.6

To make someone feel a sudden strong feeling, often romantic

to sweep off someone's feet
  • Informal
31 4.5

Make someone feel very impressed and strongly attracted

to sweep up
31 5.8

To get carried into a situation and take part without meaning to

to sweep away
11 4.6

To feel very strong emotions that you cannot control

to sweep out
10 2.2

To remove dirt or leaves from a place using a broom

to sweep the floor
10 1.0

To clean the floor by moving dust and dirt with a broom

to sweep over
6 4.6

A strong feeling that affects someone suddenly

to sweep aside
5 4.7

To ignore an opinion or worry as unimportant

to sweep through
1 4.1

To finish something quickly and with little effort

to sweep the board
1 4.9

Win every prize or game in a competition

to sweep the deck
1 2.8

To clean a boat's deck with a broom

to sweep away
3.9

To destroy or carry something away completely, for example by water

Compounds

clean sweep
  • Informal
9 3.6

A full success when someone wins everything or makes a complete change

sweep oar
  • Specialized
1 9.3

A long paddle one person holds with both hands to row a boat

sweep hand
  • Specialized
1 5.5

A long hand on a watch or clock that shows seconds and moves smoothly

sweep-second
  • Specialized
8.6

A thin hand on a clock or watch attached at the middle that goes around every minute and moves smoothly

How Smoothly

to glide
78 2.9
to sweep
131 2.1
to swoop
13 3.2
slide
63 1.0
to drift
265 2.9

Surface Forms

sweep infinitive
sweeping present participle
sweeps third person singular
swept past
swept past participle

Etymology

Sweep originally described a wide, powerful movement, like a long stroke of a broom or brush. That's why we say a wind or feeling 'sweeps' through a place — it moves quickly and smoothly across it.