to sweep away
1
3.9
- phrasal verb
- /swip əˈweɪ/
:
arrasar
- Kingdom by kingdom, his army swept away everything in its path.
- sweep away doubts
And when the storms come and the floods come, the house is swept away.
- And when the storms come and the floods come, the house is swept away.
- It struck the water in the shallows and dissolved into a muddy bloom, which these waves then swept away.
Examples
-
All evidence of the ancient civilization was swept away by the floods.
-
How can you not sense that anything you accomplish will be swept away in time?
Academic text (2001) -
He wanted above all to sweep away the heritage of past ideas.
Academic text (1994) -
Almost everything that does not support this thesis is swept away or suppressed.
Academic text (1996) -
As in Lyellian geology, human impact is temporary and eventually swept away.
Academic text (2018) -
We are at a point in history when the very essence of creativity and knowledge can be swept away, all because big money corporations want a piece of the educational pie.
Blog text (2) -
Ideological barriers, criteria, and restrictions were swept away, and the reading public got access to books it previously could not have desired in its wildest dreams.
Academic text (2001) -
The economic downturn that has shaken Europe for the last three years has also swept away the foundations of once-sturdy lives, leading to an alarming spike in suicide rates.
Blog text (27) -
The strong wind swept away leaves and debris from the sidewalk.
-
The powerful wave swept away all traces of the footprints on the beach.
Synonyms
∞
1.5
To move something or someone away from a place
∞
1.6
To remove or throw away something you do not want
948
1.9
To remove something from a place or container
502
3.4
Remove or kill something completely so it is gone
477
1.8
To get rid of something you do not want, for example by putting it in the bin
260
1.0
To empty something completely
202
1.8
To put something in the trash because you do not want it
189
4.2
Destroy something so nothing is left
156
2.2
Remove all traces of something from memory or history
136
3.2
To remove something unwanted from a place
91
3.1
Remove all things from a place so it becomes empty
91
3.2
Empty a place or container by removing everything inside
88
3.7
Remove something so it is no longer used
85
6.6
Remove something harmful completely, for example a disease or pest
71
7.5
To destroy something completely so nothing remains
60
6.9
To destroy something completely, often on purpose
51
4.5
Force unwanted people or things out of a place, often using water
49
6.3
To remove unwanted substances, things, or people by cleaning
39
2.7
To throw away things you do not want
33
2.1
Water or another liquid carries something away
29
4.6
To make a feeling or idea go away
28
2.0
To remove something from a surface by moving a cloth over it, like tears or dirt
27
4.0
Remove an outside layer or covering from something to show what is under it
21
8.8
To remove all signs of something like a record or memory so it cannot be found
20
1.0
Remove dirt or marks from a surface by rubbing with a cloth
15
7.6
To destroy something completely so nothing is left
11
6.7
To tear something into pieces or throw it away and start again
10
1.8
To take things away from a place to make it tidy
8
3.0
Remove things from a surface to make it empty or clean
8
4.3
Carry away soil or roads by strong flowing water
5
5.0
To take out what is inside a container so it becomes empty
5
2.0
To throw something away because you no longer want or need it
4
4.1
To throw away things you no longer want
1
2.2
To remove dirt or leaves from a place using a broom
1
9.9
To destroy something completely, including its root
1
5.0
To force someone to leave a place usually because they cause trouble
Antonyms
How Complete
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to remove or destroy completely' is directly derivable from combining 'sweep' (to move or remove by sweeping) with 'away' (removed/going away), yielding a typical motion/causative sense of complete removal. This compositional pattern is common and cross-linguistically familiar, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Sweep away also comes from storms and floods where fast water carries bridges, houses or soil away and leaves nothing behind. So, when we say something was 'swept away' by change or disaster, we mean 'to remove or destroy completely'.