to sweep
- verb
- /swiːp/
- During the meeting, sweeping changes to the company's policies were discussed to improve efficiency.
- sweeping changes
- sweeping reforms
- sweeping generalizations
That's because COVID swept through the country and they've managed it.
- That's because COVID swept through the country and they've managed it.
Examples
-
Marty, we'll march into Masina and I'll sweep down from the north.
-
I need available units to sweep the area.
-
I want two teams to sweep from the north and the south.
-
Lieutenant, take your men and sweep every building in town, top to bottom.
-
They sweep away everything in their path.
-
Her mother made an entrance, sweeping in like royalty entering the grand ballroom.
Fiction book (1992) -
They're sweeping south down the frontier attacking farms and Mohawk villages.
-
The wildfire swept across the landscape, covering miles of forest in just a few hours.
-
She felt a sense of joy sweep over her as she remembered her childhood adventures.
Synonyms
To go across something from one side to the other
To make something reach farther, such as more places or people
To put a thin layer over a surface
To go across an area or distance
To stretch across an area or period of time
Reach up to a certain point or limit
To arrange or unfold things so they cover a larger area
Form a layer across a surface, like fog or icing
To move across land or water from one side to the other
To deal with a larger area or more topics
To reach across an area so parts are on both sides
To continue for a long distance along a narrow area
To stretch across a large area
Antonyms
Idioms
Phrasal Verbs
Compounds
- Specialized
A thin hand on a clock or watch attached at the middle that goes around every minute and moves smoothly
How Wide
Surface Forms
Etymology
Sweep grew to mean 'to stretch across' because of that broad sweeping motion that covers a lot of space. So when something 'sweeps' across the land, it means it extends over a wide area.