Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Sweep

Sweep

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Swept
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Sweeping
.]
[OE.
swepen
; akin to AS.
swāpan
. See
Swoop
,
Verb.
I.
]
1.
To pass a broom across (a surface) so as to remove loose dirt, dust, etc.; to brush, or rub over, with a broom for the purpose of cleaning;
as, to
sweep
a floor, the street, or a chimney
. Used also figuratively.
I will
sweep
it with the besom of destruction.
Isa. xiv. 23.
2.
To drive or carry along or off with a broom or a brush, or as if with a broom; to remove by, or as if by, brushing;
as, to
sweep
dirt from a floor; the wind
sweeps
the snow from the hills; a freshet
sweeps
away a dam, timber, or rubbish; a pestilence
sweeps
off multitudes.
The hail shall
sweep
away the refuge of lies.
Isa. xxviii. 17.
I have already
swept
the stakes.
Dryden.
3.
To brush against or over; to rub lightly along.
Their long descending train,
With rubies edged and sapphires,
swept
the plain.
Dryden.
4.
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.
Shakespeare
5.
To strike with a long stroke.
Wake into voice each silent string,
And
sweep
the sounding lyre.
Pope.
6.
(Naut.)
To draw or drag something over;
as, to
sweep
the bottom of a river with a net
.
7.
To pass over, or traverse, with the eye or with an instrument of observation;
as, to
sweep
the heavens with a telescope
.
To sweep a mold
or
To sweep up a mold
(Founding)
,
to form the sand into a mold by a templet, instead of compressing it around the pattern.

Sweep

,
Verb.
I.
1.
To clean rooms, yards, etc., or to clear away dust, dirt, litter, etc., with a broom, brush, or the like.
2.
To brush swiftly over the surface of anything; to pass with switness and force, as if brushing the surface of anything; to move in a stately manner;
as, the wind
sweeps
across the plain; a woman
sweeps
through a drawing-room.
3.
To pass over anything comprehensively; to range through with rapidity;
as, his eye
sweeps
through space
.

Sweep

,
Noun.
1.
The act of sweeping.
2.
The compass or range of a stroke;
as, a long
sweep
.
3.
The compass of any turning body or of any motion;
as, the
sweep
of a door; the
sweep
of the eye
.
4.
The compass of anything flowing or brushing;
as, the flood carried away everything within its
sweep
.
5.
Violent and general destruction;
as, the
sweep
of an epidemic disease
.
6.
Direction and extent of any motion not rectlinear;
as, the
sweep
of a compass
.
7.
Direction or departure of a curve, a road, an arch, or the like, away from a rectlinear line.
The road which makes a small
sweep
.
Sir W. Scott.
8.
One who sweeps; a sweeper; specifically, a chimney sweeper.
9.
(Founding)
A movable templet for making molds, in loam molding.
10.
(Naut.)
(a)
The mold of a ship when she begins to curve in at the rungheads; any part of a ship shaped in a segment of a circle.
(b)
A large oar used in small vessels, partly to propel them and partly to steer them.
11.
(Refining)
The almond furnace.
[Obs.]
12.
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.
[Variously written
swape
,
sweep
,
swepe
, and
swipe
.]
13.
(Card Playing)
In the game of casino, a pairing or combining of all the cards on the board, and so removing them all; in whist, the winning of all the tricks (thirteen) in a hand; a slam.
14.
pl.
The sweeping of workshops where precious metals are worked, containing filings, etc.
Sweep net
,
a net for drawing over a large compass.
–
Sweep of the tiller
(Naut.)
,
a circular frame on which the tiller traverses.

Webster 1828 Edition

Sweep

SWEEP

,
Verb.
T.
pret. and pp. swept.
1.
To brush or rub over with a brush, broom or besom, for removing loose dirt; to clean by brushing; as, to sweep a chimney or a floor. When we say, to sweep a room, we mean, to sweep the floor of the room; and to sweep the house, is to sweep the floors of the house.
2.
To carry with a long swinging or dragging motion; to carry with pomp.
And like a peacock, sweep along his tail.
3.
To drive or carry along or off by a long brushing stroke or force, or by flowing on the earth. Thus the wind sweeps the snow from the tops of the hills; a river sweeps away a dam, timber or rubbish; a flood sweeps away a bridge or a house. Hence,
4.
To drive, destroy or carry off many at a stroke, or with celerity and violence; as, a pestilence sweeps off multitudes in a few days. The conflagration swept away whole streets of houses.
I have already swept the stakes.
5.
To rub over.
Their long descending train,
With rubies edg'd and sapphires, swept the plain.
6.
To strike with a long stroke.
Wake into voice each silent string,
And sweep the sounding lyre.
7.
To draw or drag over; as, to sweep the bottom of a river with a net, or with the bight of a rope, to hook an anchor.

SWEEP

,
Verb.
I.
To pass with swiftness and violence, as something broad or brushing the surface of any thing; as a sweeping rain; a sweeping flood. A fowl that flies near the surface of land or water, is said to sweep along near the surface.
1.
To pass over or brush along with celerity and force; as, the wind sweeps along the plain.
2.
To pass with pomp; as, a person sweeps along with a trail.
She sweeps it through the court with troops of ladies.
3.
To move with a long reach; as a sweeping stroke.

SWEEP

,
Noun.
The act of sweeping.
1.
The compass of a stroke; as a long sweep.
2.
The compass of any turning body or motion; as the sweep of a door.
3.
The compass of any thing flowing or brushing; as, the flood carried away every thing within its sweep.
4.
Violent and general destruction; as the sweep of an epidemic disease.
5.
Direction of any motion not rectilinear; as the sweep of a compass.
6.
The mold of a ship when she begins to compass in, at the rung heads; also, any part of a ship shaped by the segment of a circle; as a floor-sweep; a back-sweep, &c.
7.
Among refiners of metals, the almost-furnace.
8.
Among seamen, a large oar, used to assist the rudder in turning a ship in a calm, or to increase her velocity in a chase, &c.
Sweep of the tiller, a circular frame on which the tiller traverses in large ships.

Definition 2024

sweep

sweep

English

Verb

a man sweeping (1)

sweep ‎(third-person singular simple present sweeps, present participle sweeping, simple past and past participle swept)

  1. (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
    • Bible, Isaiah xiv. 23
      I will sweep it with the besom of destruction.
  2. (intransitive) To move through a (horizontal) arc or similar long stroke.
    The wind sweeps across the plain.‎
    The offended countess swept out of the ballroom.‎
    • 2005, Lesley Brown (translator), Sophist by Plato, 236d:
      [H]as the course of the argument so accustomed you to agreeing that you were swept by it into a ready assent?
  3. (transitive) To search (a place) methodically.
  4. (intransitive, figuratively) To travel quickly.
    • 2011 February 1, Phil McNulty, “Arsenal 2-1 Everton”, in BBC:
      Everton took that disputed lead in a moment that caused anger to sweep around the Emirates.
  5. (cricket) To play a sweep shot.
  6. (curling) To brush the ice in front of a moving stone, causing it to travel farther and to curl less.
  7. (transitive, ergative) To move something in a particular motion, as a broom.
  8. (sports, transitive) To win (a series) without drawing or losing any of the games in that series.
  9. (sports, transitive) To defeat (a team) in a series without drawing or losing any of the games in that series.
  10. (transitive) To remove something abruptly and thoroughly.
    She swept the peelings off the table onto the floor.‎
    The wind sweeps the snow from the hills.
    The flooded river swept away the wooden dam.
    • 2013 June 7, Ed Pilkington, “‘Killer robots’ should be banned in advance, UN told”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 6:
      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.
  11. To brush against or over; to rub lightly along.
    Their long descending train, / With rubies edged and sapphires, swept the plain.
    • 1977, Agatha Christie, An Autobiography, Part II, chapter4:
      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.
  12. To carry with a long, swinging, or dragging motion; hence, to carry in a stately or proud fashion.
  13. To strike with a long stroke.
    • Alexander Pope (1688-1744)
      Wake into voice each silent string, / And sweep the sounding lyre.
  14. (nautical) To draw or drag something over.
    to sweep the bottom of a river with a net
  15. To pass over, or traverse, with the eye or with an instrument of observation.
    to sweep the heavens with a telescope

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

sweep ‎(plural sweeps)

  1. A single action of sweeping.
    Give the front steps a quick sweep to get rid of those fallen leaves.
  2. The person who steers a dragon boat.
  3. A person who stands at the stern of a surf boat, steering with a steering oar and commanding the crew.
  4. A chimney sweep.
  5. A methodical search, typically for bugs (electronic listening devices).
  6. (cricket) 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
  7. 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.
  8. A flow of water parallel to shore caused by wave action at an ocean beach or at a point or headland.
  9. (martial arts) A throw or takedown that primarily uses the legs to attack an opponent's legs.
  10. Violent and general destruction.
    the sweep of an epidemic disease
  11. (metalworking) A movable templet for making moulds, in loam moulding.
  12. (card games) In the game casino, the act of capturing all face-up cards from the table.
  13. The compass of any turning body or of any motion.
    the sweep of a door; the sweep of the eye
  14. Direction or departure of a curve, a road, an arch, etc. away from a rectilinear line.
    • Sir Walter Scott
      the road which makes a small sweep
  15. A large oar used in small vessels, partly to propel them and partly to steer them.
  16. (refining, obsolete) The almond furnace.
  17. 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.
  18. Any of the blades of a windmill.
  19. (in the plural) The sweepings of workshops where precious metals are worked, containing filings, etc.
  20. Any of several sea chubs in the subfamily Scorpidinae.
    • 1993, Tim Winton, Land's Edge, Picador 2014, p. 28:
      Octopus clambered about from hole to hole and startled sweep blurred away as we passed.

Derived terms

Translations

compass of any turning body or of any motion
  • Finnish: aukeamisalue (door, flap, etc.), heilahdusalue (swing, pendulum etc.), pyörähdysalue (roteting body)

References

  • sweep in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

Anagrams

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowing from English sweep.

Pronunciation

Noun

sweep m (plural sweeps)

  1. (electric guitar) sweep (arpeggio played with a single movement of the picking hand)

Etymology

From Old English swāpan, from Proto-Germanic *swaipaną. Cognate with Early Mod. West Frisian swiepe ‎(“whip, cleanse, sweep”), from Old Frisian swēpa, suepa ‎(“sweep”). See also swoop.

Pronunciation

  • enPR: swēp, IPA(key): /swiːp/
  • Rhymes: -iːp

Similar Results