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Glite Dictionary
to sweep the board

to sweep the board

4.9
Win every prize or game in a competition
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : ganar todo
  • The new product line swept the board at the awards, winning every category it was nominated for.

Examples

  • Yet it came within 74,000 votes of sweeping the board.

    Blog text (10)

  • And again, if the film sweeps the board, a victory here could follow.

    Blog text (6)

  • The athlete swept the board in the tournament, taking home medals in all events.

  • With her outstanding performance, she swept the board during the competition, securing first place in every round.

Synonyms

to sweep
vsto sweep the board
43 3.2

To win all games or contests in a competition

wins every prize or contest available rather than only a dominant victory

Antonyms

to lose
∞ 1.0

Fail to win a game or contest

to finish last
12 2.2

Come in last place in a race or competition

How Successful

to sweep the board
4.9
to dominate
275 3.7
to triumph
60 3.4
to win
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

sweep + the + board

The verb 'sweep' can be understood as 'clear away/remove everything' and is often extended metaphorically to mean 'win everything', but the phrase 'the board' (all prizes/games) is not a direct literal interpretation of 'board' (a flat surface). Because the overall meaning relies on a figurative extension and a specific competitive usage that is not fully predictable from the parts, a B1 learner who only knows the literal constituents may not reliably infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Sweep the board may come from old table games where a winner would literally sweep the chips or pieces off the board after taking every bet. That's why today it means 'to win everything' or 'take all the prizes'.