SWEEP

sweep

(noun) a movement in an arc; “a sweep of his arm”

sweep, sweep oar

(noun) a long oar used in an open boat

sweep, expanse

(noun) a wide scope; “the sweep of the plains”

slam, sweep

(noun) winning all or all but one of the tricks in bridge

chimneysweeper, chimneysweep, sweep

(noun) someone who cleans soot from chimneys

sweep

(verb) win an overwhelming victory in or on; “Her new show dog swept all championships”

sweep, broom

(verb) sweep with a broom or as if with a broom; “Sweep the crumbs off the table”; “Sweep under the bed”

sweep

(verb) clean by sweeping; “Please sweep the floor”

swing, sweep, swing out

(verb) make a big sweeping gesture or movement

sweep, sail

(verb) move with sweeping, effortless, gliding motions; “The diva swept into the room”; “Shreds of paper sailed through the air”; “The searchlights swept across the sky”

brush, sweep

(verb) sweep across or over; “Her long skirt brushed the floor”; “A gasp swept cross the audience”

embroil, tangle, sweep, sweep up, drag, drag in

(verb) force into some kind of situation, condition, or course of action; “They were swept up by the events”; “don’t drag me into this business”

cross, traverse, span, sweep

(verb) to cover or extend over an area or time period; “Rivers traverse the valley floor”; “The parking lot spans 3 acres”; “The novel spans three centuries”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Verb

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

(transitive) To clean (a surface) by means of a stroking motion of a broom or brush.

(intransitive) To move through a (horizontal) arc or similar long stroke.

(transitive) To search (a place) methodically.

(intransitive, figuratively) To travel quickly.

(cricket) To play a sweep shot.

(curling) To brush the ice in front of a moving stone, causing it to travel farther and to curl less.

(transitive, ergative) To move something in a long sweeping motion, as a broom.

(sports, transitive) To win (a series) without drawing or losing any of the games in that series.

(sports, transitive) To defeat (a team) in a series without drawing or losing any of the games in that series.

(transitive) To remove something abruptly and thoroughly.

To brush against or over; to rub lightly along.

To carry with a long, swinging, or dragging motion; hence, to carry in a stately or proud fashion.

To strike with a long stroke.

(rowing) To row with one oar to either the port or starboard side.

(nautical) To draw or drag something over.

To pass over, or traverse, with the eye or with an instrument of observation.

(US, regional, including, Ohio and Indiana) to vacuum a carpet or rug

Noun

sweep (plural sweeps)

A single action of sweeping.

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.

A methodical search, typically for bugs (electronic listening devices).

(cricket) A batsman's shot, played from a kneeling position with a swinging horizontal bat.

A lottery, usually on the results of a sporting event, where players win if their randomly chosen team wins.

A flow of water parallel to shore caused by wave action at an ocean beach or at a point or headland.

(martial arts) A throw or takedown that primarily uses the legs to attack an opponent's legs.

Violent and general destruction.

(metalworking) A movable templet for making moulds, in loam moulding.

(card games) 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.

Direction or departure of a curve, a road, an arch, etc. away from a rectilinear line.

A large oar used in small vessels, partly to propel them and partly to steer them.

(rowing) A rowing style in which each rower rows with oar on either the port or starboard side.

(refining, obsolete) 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 the plural) The sweepings of workshops where precious metals are worked, containing filings, etc.

Any of several sea chub in the kyphosid subfamily Scorpidinae.

An expanse or a swath, a strip of land.

Anagrams

• weeps

Source: Wiktionary

Sweep, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Swept; p. pr. & vb. n. Sweeping.] Etym: [OE. swepen; akin to AS. swapan. See Swoop, v. 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. Shak.

5. To strike with a long stroke. Wake into voice each silent string, And sweep the sounding lyre. Pope.

6. (Naut.)

Definition: 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, or sweep up, a mold (Founding), to form the sand into a mold by a templet, instead of compressing it around the pattern.

Sweep, v. 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, n.

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)

Definition: 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)

Definition: 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)

Definition: 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.

Definition: 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.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

SWEEP

Etymology

Verb

Noun

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