From Middle English swepen, from Proto-West Germanic *swaipijan (unattested in Old English), from Proto-Germanic *swaipijaną. Cognate with Early Modern West Frisian swiepe (“whip, cleanse, sweep”), from Old Frisian swēpa, suepa (“sweep”). More distantly related to Old Norse sveipa (whence Swedish svepa). See also swoop.
Meanings
A single action of sweeping.
Give the front steps a quick sweep to get rid of those fallen leaves.
The person who steers a dragon boat.
A person who stands at the stern of a surf boat, steering with a steering oar and commanding the crew.
A chimney sweep.
He was, perhaps, the English railwayman's conception of the French mécanicien - short and broad, black as a sweep even before we left Calais (but no blacker than I was on arrival at Paris) and wearing goggles and his uniform cap back to front. 1961 February, Balmore [pseudonym], “Driving and firing modern French steam locomotives - Part One”, in Trains Illustrated, page 112:
A methodical search, typically for bugs (electronic listening devices).
A batsman's shot, played from a kneeling position with a swinging horizontal bat.
Bradman attempted a sweep, but in fact top edged the ball to the wicket keeper
A lottery, usually on the results of a sporting event, where players win if their randomly chosen team wins.
Jim will win fifty dollars in the office sweep if Japan wins the World Cup.
A flow of water parallel to shore caused by wave action at an ocean beach or at a point or headland.
The degree to which an aircraft's wings are angled backwards (or, occasionally, forwards) from their attachments to the fuselage.
The MiG-17's inner wing has 45 degrees of sweep.
A throw or takedown that primarily uses the legs to attack an opponent's legs.
Violent and general destruction.
the sweep of an epidemic disease
A movable template for making moulds, in loam moulding.
In the game casino, the act of capturing all face-up cards from the table.
The compass of any turning body or of any motion.
the sweep of a door; the sweep of the eye
Direction or departure of a curve, a road, an arch, etc. away from a rectilinear line.
the road which makes a small sweep 1815 February 24, [Walter Scott], Guy Mannering; or, The Astrologer. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; and Archibald Constable and Co., […], →OCLC:
A large oar used in small vessels, partly to propel them and partly to steer them.
I intend to muffle the sweeps and row the schooner up to the head of the creek there, from which point we can command the pile of sandal-wood with our gun. 1857 December, R[obert]. M[ichael]. Ballantyne, The Coral Island, page 258:
(attributive) A rowing style in which each rower rows with oar on either the port or starboard side.
I am primarily a sweep rower.
(obsolete, qualifier:refining) The almond furnace.
A long pole, or piece of timber, moved on a horizontal fulcrum fixed to a tall post and used to raise and lower a bucket in a well for drawing water.
Any of the blades of a windmill.
(in-plural) The sweepings of workshops where precious metals are worked, containing filings, etc.
Any of several sea chubs in the family Kyphosidae (subfamily Scorpidinae).
Octopus clambered about from hole to hole and startled sweep blurred away as we passed. 1993, Tim Winton, Land's Edge, Picador, published 2014, page 28:
An expanse or a swath, a strip of land.
The Himalaya guards the southern rim of the plateau in one continuous sweep of 2250 km, each end marked by a massive mountain, Nanga Parbat on the Indus in the west and Namjagbarwa at the great bend of the Yarlung Tsangpo in the east. 1998, George B. Schaller, Wildlife of the Tibetan Steppe, University of Chicago Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 21:
(US, form-of, singular) singular of sweeps (“viewership ratings”)
A proposal to redistribute the diaries used in sweeps to provide a 4-week "buyer report" earlier than the normal November sweep followed by three quarterly reports was not welcomed […] 1988, Hugh Malcolm Beville, Audience Ratings: Radio, Television, and Cable, page 230:
(US, possibly, regional) The act of police removing a homeless encampment from a public space.
“There’s no new version of sweeps or a better version of sweeps,” said Marcus Moore, who was street homeless prior to the pandemic and is now an organizer with Safety Net Activists.
bg претърсване (methodical search) · fi aukeamisalue (compass of any turning body or of any motion) · fi heilautus (single action of sweeping) · de Steuermann (person who steers a surf boat) · fi heilahdusalue (compass of any turning body or of any motion) · cmn 摩擦 (single action of sweeping) · de Tippspiel (type of lottery) · de Flügel (blade of a windmill) · de Litoralströmung (flow of water parallel to shore) · bg обхват (compass of any turning body or of any motion) · fi lakaisu (single action of sweeping) · bg извиване (direction or departure from rectilinear line) · de Küstendrift (flow of water parallel to shore) · fi pyyhkäisy (single action of sweeping) · fi veikkaus (type of lottery) · pt rasteira (type of throw or takedown martial arts) · de Fegerbarsch (sea chub in the subfamily Scorpidinae) · fi rannan suuntainen virtaus (flow of water parallel to shore) · fi airo (large oar used to propel and steer small vessels) · fi kaarros (direction or departure from rectilinear line) · da feje benene væk under (type of throw or takedown martial arts) · fi tarkastus (methodical search) · it spazzata (single action of sweeping) · fi siipi (blade of a windmill) · pt varredura (single action of sweeping) · fi pyyhkäisy (violent and general destruction) · de Schöpfschwengel (long pole to raise and lower a bucket in a well) · fi pyörähdysalue (compass of any turning body or of any motion) · fi vipupuu (long pole to raise and lower a bucket in a well) · de Steuermann (person who steers a dragon boat) · fi mökki (sea chub in the subfamily Scorpidinae) · de Schwenkbereich (compass of any turning body or of any motion) · de einmaliges Drüberfegen (single action of sweeping) · bg замах (single action of sweeping) · de Gewinnspiel (type of lottery) · fi perämies (person who steers a dragon boat) · fi vipu (long pole to raise and lower a bucket in a well) · nl veeg (single action of sweeping) · de Brunnenschwengel (long pole to raise and lower a bucket in a well) · de Sweeper (person who steers a surf boat) · bg крило (blade of a windmill) · de Steinbrasse (sea chub in the subfamily Scorpidinae) · fi etsintä (methodical search) · de Küstenlängsströmung (flow of water parallel to shore) · fi syyni (methodical search) · de Küstenströmung (flow of water parallel to shore) · fi pyyhkäisy (type of throw or takedown martial arts) · de Schwung (single action of sweeping) · mi hui (sea chub in the subfamily Scorpidinae) · fi mökki (casino: act of capturing all face-up cards from the table) · fr balayage (single action of sweeping) · fi perämies (person who steers a surf boat) · de Stechpaddel (large oar used to propel and steer small vessels) · de Schwingbaum (long pole to raise and lower a bucket in a well) · de Biegung (direction or departure from rectilinear line)
From Middle English swepen, from Proto-West Germanic *swaipijan (unattested in Old English), from Proto-Germanic *swaipijaną. Cognate with Early Modern West Frisian swiepe (“whip, cleanse, sweep”), from Old Frisian swēpa, suepa (“sweep”). More distantly related to Old Norse sveipa (whence Swedish svepa). See also swoop.
Meanings
(transitive) To clean (a surface) by means of a stroking motion of a broom or brush.
to sweep a floor, the street, or a chimney
I will sweep it with the besom of destruction. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Isaiah 14:23:
(intransitive) To move through a (horizontal) arc or similar long stroke.
The wind sweeps across the plain.
[H]as the course of the argument so accustomed you to agreeing that you were swept by it into a ready assent? 2005, Lesley Brown, Sophist, translation of original by Plato, page 236d:
The offended countess swept out of the ballroom.
(transitive) To search (a place) methodically.
(figuratively, intransitive) To travel quickly.
Drifting thus, we made fast time down the bank through Cove Bay, and at 72 m.p.h. came sweeping round the curve past Girdleness light house, and so to the first sight of Aberdeen itself. 1947 January and February, O. S. Nock, “"The Aberdonian" in Wartime”, in Railway Magazine, page 9:
Everton took that disputed lead in a moment that caused anger to sweep around the Emirates. 2011 February 1, Phil McNulty, “Arsenal 2-1 Everton”, in BBC:
To play a sweep shot.
To brush the ice in front of a moving stone, causing it to travel farther and to curl less.
(ergative, transitive) To move something in a long sweeping motion, as a broom.
(transitive) To win (a series) without drawing or losing any of the games in that series.
(transitive) To defeat (a team) in a series without drawing or losing any of the games in that series.
To clear (a body of water or part thereof) of mines.
The channel was swept twice before the battlefleet proceeded through it.
(transitive) To remove something abruptly and thoroughly.
The wind sweeps the snow from the hills.
She swept the peelings off the table onto the floor.
The flooded river swept away the wooden dam.
In his submission to the UN, [Christof] Heyns points to the experience of drones. Unmanned aerial vehicles were intended initially only for surveillance, and their use for offensive purposes was prohibited, yet once strategists realised their perceived advantages as a means of carrying out targeted killings, all objections were swept out of the way. 2013 June 7, Ed Pilkington, “‘Killer robots’ should be banned in advance, UN told”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 6:
To brush against or over; to rub lightly along.
Their long descending train, / With rubies edg'd and sapphires, swept the plain. 1700, [John] Dryden, “The Flower and the Leaf: Or, The Lady in the Arbour. A Vision.”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
Mind you, clothes were clothes in those days. […] Frills, ruffles, flounces, lace, complicated seams and gores: not only did they sweep the ground and have to be held up in one hand elegantly as you walked along, but they had little capes or coats or feather boas. 1977, Agatha Christie, chapter 4, in An Autobiography, part II, London: Collins, →ISBN:
To carry with a long, swinging, or dragging motion; hence, to carry in a stately or proud fashion.
And like a peacock sweep along his tail. 1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii]:
To strike with a long stroke.
Deſcend ye nine! deſcend and ſing; / The breathing inſtruments inſpire, / VVake into voice each ſilent ſtring, / And ſvveep the ſounding lyre! 1687 (date written), Alexander Pope, “Ode for Musick on St. Cecilia’s Day”, in The Works of Mr. Alexander Pope, volume I, London: […] W[illiam] Bowyer, for Bernard Lintot, […], →OCLC, canto I, page 371:
To row with one oar to either the port or starboard side.
To draw or drag something over.
to sweep the bottom of a river with a net
To pass over, or traverse, with the eye or with an instrument of observation.
O5-8 does an impressive job of controlling himself, keeping his attention focused on Marion. Clay doesn't fare so well, and quickly sweeps the whole room, even checking behind his back. Making an ass of himself, essentially. He finds nothing. He looks baffled. 2008–2021, qntm, “We Need To Talk About Fifty-Five”, in There Is No Antimemetics Division, →ISBN, page 13:
to sweep the heavens with a telescope
(Pennsylvania, Western, qualifier:Ohio; Indiana; Ohio; Indiana) To vacuum a carpet or rug.
fi pyyhkäistä (to travel quickly) · sh mesti (to clean using a broom or brush) · de flitzen (to travel quickly) · ru подмета́ть (to clean using a broom or brush) · ta பெருக்கு (to clean using a broom or brush) · th ปัดถู (to clean using a broom or brush) · vi quét dọn (to clean using a broom or brush) · cs zametat (to clean using a broom or brush) · de wischen (to remove something abruptly and thoroughly) · lt šluoti (to clean using a broom or brush) · mfe balie (to clean using a broom or brush) · kaw sapu (to clean using a broom or brush) · gd sguab (to clean using a broom or brush) · so harid (to clean using a broom or brush) · et pühkima (to clean using a broom or brush) · zza gezı kerden (to clean using a broom or brush) · el σκουπίζω (to clean using a broom or brush) · rup metur (to clean using a broom or brush) · de haushoch gewinnen (sports: to defeat a team without loss or draw) · fi pyyhkäistä (to pass over, or traverse, with the eye or with an instrument of observation) · cy ysgubo (to clean using a broom or brush) · grc καλλύνω (to clean using a broom or brush) · as জৰা (to clean using a broom or brush) · de abwischen (to brush against or over; to rub lightly along) · uk мести́ (to clean using a broom or brush) · de vom Platz fegen (sports: to defeat a team without loss or draw) · io balayar (to clean using a broom or brush) · cmn 刷冰 (curling: to brush the ice) · de durchkämmen (to search methodically) · es barrer (to clean using a broom or brush) · tt себерергә (to clean using a broom or brush) · ka გვა (to clean using a broom or brush) · cmn 打掃 /打扫 (to clean using a broom or brush) · fa رُفتن (to clean using a broom or brush) · cic pihli (to clean using a broom or brush) · fi lakaista (to move something as a broom) · fi pyyhkiä (nautical: to draw or drag something over) · bg бърша (curling: to brush the ice) · srn sibi (to clean using a broom or brush) · om haruu (to clean using a broom or brush) · ru мча́ться (to travel quickly) · fi kammata (to search methodically) · ln kombo (to clean using a broom or brush) · ja 掃引する (to move through an arc or similar long stroke) · kk сыпыру (to clean using a broom or brush) · ja 掃く (curling: to brush the ice) · chr ᎬᏃᏌᏍᎦ (to clean using a broom or brush) · ug سۈپۈرمەك (to clean using a broom or brush) · ca escombrar (to clean using a broom or brush) · fi voittaa puhtaasti (sports: to win a series without loss or draw) · ms menyapu (to clean using a broom or brush) · it spazzare (to clean using a broom or brush) · de fahren (to travel quickly) · ga scuab (to move through an arc or similar long stroke) · yue 掃 /扫 (to clean using a broom or brush) · ale mitilix̂ (to clean using a broom or brush) · tet dasa (to clean using a broom or brush) · sh pomesti (to clean using a broom or brush) · gl varrer (to clean using a broom or brush) · te ఊడ్చు (to clean using a broom or brush) · ru подмести́ (to clean using a broom or brush) · ln kokombo (to clean using a broom or brush) · br skubañ (to clean using a broom or brush) · uk підмести́ (to clean using a broom or brush) · mi tahitahi (to clean using a broom or brush) · km បោស (to clean using a broom or brush) · grc κορέω (to clean using a broom or brush) · sv svepa (to clean using a broom or brush) · cic pihli (to move something as a broom) · njo-jgl aok (to clean using a broom or brush) · de kehren (to clean using a broom or brush) · de durchsuchen (to search methodically) · it scopare (to clean using a broom or brush) · de wischen (curling: to brush the ice) · alt сибирер (to clean using a broom or brush) · fi tarkastaa (to search methodically) · fa جارو کردن (to clean using a broom or brush) · grc σαρόω (to clean using a broom or brush) · es peinar (to search methodically) · tr süpürmek (to clean using a broom or brush) · sk zamiesť (to clean using a broom or brush) · de schleifen (nautical: to draw or drag something over) · th กวาด (to clean using a broom or brush) · is sópa (to clean using a broom or brush) · lus phiat (to clean using a broom or brush) · de betonieren (sports: to defeat a team without loss or draw) · ru мести́ (to clean using a broom or brush) · kw skubya (to clean using a broom or brush) · fr balayer (to clean using a broom or brush) · hu söpör (to clean using a broom or brush) · sq fshij (to clean using a broom or brush) · sv sopa (to clean using a broom or brush) · de fortschwemmen (to remove something abruptly and thoroughly) · hu seper (to clean using a broom or brush) · fr balayer (to search methodically) · gcr balé (to clean using a broom or brush) · cy sgubo (to clean using a broom or brush) · ru прочеса́ть (to search methodically) · qu pichay (to clean using a broom or brush) · ja 掃除する (to clean using a broom or brush) · de umpflügen (nautical: to draw or drag something over) · fi pyyhkiä (to brush against or over; to rub lightly along) · bg профучавам (to travel quickly) · bg мета́ (to clean using a broom or brush) · fi heilauttaa (to carry with a long, swinging, or dragging motion) · fi pyyhkäistä (to remove something abruptly and thoroughly) · udm ӵужыны (to clean using a broom or brush) · ky шыпыруу (to clean using a broom or brush) · de fegen (to remove something abruptly and thoroughly) · de wegspülen (to remove something abruptly and thoroughly) · zza rotnen (curling: to brush the ice) · gu વાળવું (to clean using a broom or brush) · bg претърсвам (to search methodically) · msk waris (to clean using a broom or brush) · my လှည်း (to clean using a broom or brush) · ro mătura (to clean using a broom or brush) · fi voittaa puhtaasti (sports: to defeat a team without loss or draw) · az süpürmək (to clean using a broom or brush) · bo འཕྱག (to clean using a broom or brush) · tg рӯфтан (to clean using a broom or brush) · jv nyapu (to clean using a broom or brush) · vi quét (to clean using a broom or brush) · hi सफ़ाई करना (to clean using a broom or brush) · fi pyyhkiä (to remove something abruptly and thoroughly) · bg прочиствам (to remove something abruptly and thoroughly) · uk підміта́ти (to clean using a broom or brush) · cic piha (to clean using a broom or brush) · de plattmachen (sports: to defeat a team without loss or draw) · de fegen (to clean using a broom or brush) · fi pyyhkäistä (to move through an arc or similar long stroke) · vo svipön (to clean using a broom or brush) · lut ʔix̌ʷicut (to clean using a broom or brush) · de fegen (to travel quickly) · enm swopen (to clean using a broom or brush) · cic piha (to move something as a broom) · fr brosser (to clean using a broom or brush) · fi heiluttaa (to carry with a long, swinging, or dragging motion) · da feje (to clean using a broom or brush) · tk süpürmek (to clean using a broom or brush) · it ramazzare (to clean using a broom or brush) · de mitreißen (to remove something abruptly and thoroughly) · vec scovar (to clean using a broom or brush) · mn шүүрдэх (to clean using a broom or brush) · nl doorzoeken (to search methodically) · fa روبیدن (to clean using a broom or brush) · mk ме́те (to clean using a broom or brush) · ba һепереү (to clean using a broom or brush) · oc escobar (to clean using a broom or brush) · fi luutia (to clean using a broom or brush) · pl zamiatać (to clean using a broom or brush) · it setacciare (to search methodically) · pt varrer (to clean using a broom or brush) · mi tahi (to clean using a broom or brush) · ka დაგვა (to clean using a broom or brush) · sw -fagia (to clean using a broom or brush) · arz كنس (to clean using a broom or brush) · hy ավլել (to clean using a broom or brush) · ja 掃く (to clean using a broom or brush) · nb feie (to clean using a broom or brush) · sm salu (to clean using a broom or brush) · ctd phiat (to clean using a broom or brush) · id menyapu (to clean using a broom or brush) · de sausen (to travel quickly) · xsr པུག (to clean using a broom or brush) · fi harjata (to clean using a broom or brush) · cic pihli (curling: to brush the ice) · mnc ᡝᡵᡳᠮᠪᡳ (to clean using a broom or brush) · as সৰা (to clean using a broom or brush) · lo ກວາດ (to clean using a broom or brush) · cmn 掃 /扫 (to clean using a broom or brush) · de abräumen (to remove something abruptly and thoroughly) · mi puruma (to clean using a broom or brush) · be месці́ (to clean using a broom or brush) · fi harjata (curling: to brush the ice) · sl mesti (to clean using a broom or brush) · fi pyyhkäistä (to move something as a broom) · hy սրբել (to clean using a broom or brush) · so xaadhid (to clean using a broom or brush) · de auf den Kopf stellen (to search methodically) · nl vegen (to clean using a broom or brush) · pl zamieść (to clean using a broom or brush) · fur scovâ (to clean using a broom or brush) · fi heilauttaa (to move something as a broom) · haw pūlumi (to clean using a broom or brush) · ang swāpan (to clean using a broom or brush) · be падмята́ць (to clean using a broom or brush) · bg премахвам (to remove something abruptly and thoroughly) · uz supurmoq (to clean using a broom or brush) · lmo scovà (to clean using a broom or brush) · de schwenken (to pass over, or traverse, with the eye or with an instrument of observation) · eo balai (to clean using a broom or brush) · ru прочёсывать (to search methodically) · ga scuab (to clean using a broom or brush) · mzs gossô (to clean using a broom or brush) · de panieren (sports: to defeat a team without loss or draw) · to tafi (to clean using a broom or brush) · de rauschen (to move through an arc or similar long stroke) · de vernichtend schlagen (sports: to defeat a team without loss or draw) · ko 쓸다 (to clean using a broom or brush) · sh помести (to clean using a broom or brush) · be падмесці́ (to clean using a broom or brush) · fi pyyhkiä (to pass over, or traverse, with the eye or with an instrument of observation) · de fegen (to move through an arc or similar long stroke) · de schwenken (to carry with a long, swinging, or dragging motion) · sk zametať (to clean using a broom or brush) · de hinwegfegen (sports: to defeat a team without loss or draw) · ru нести́сь (to travel quickly) · la ēverrō (to clean using a broom or brush) · hy մաքրել (to clean using a broom or brush) · vec scoar (to clean using a broom or brush) · cs zamést (to clean using a broom or brush) · enm swepen (to clean using a broom or brush) · zza geznayen (to move something as a broom) · sh мести (to clean using a broom or brush) · de schwingen (to move something as a broom) · el σαρώνω (to search methodically) · fi syynätä (to search methodically) · es barrer (to search methodically) · fi lakaista (to clean using a broom or brush) · pt escovar (to clean using a broom or brush) · de absuchen (to pass over, or traverse, with the eye or with an instrument of observation) · lv slaucīt (to clean using a broom or brush) · ar مَسَحَ (to clean using a broom or brush) · de wischen (to brush against or over; to rub lightly along) · cic piha (curling: to brush the ice) · de schweifen (to pass over, or traverse, with the eye or with an instrument of observation)