sweep /swēp/

1. To pass swiftly or forcibly, esp with a swinging movement or in a curve
2. To move with trailing or flowing drapery, hence with pomp, indignation, etc
3. To extend in a long curve
4. To range systematically or searchingly
5. To play a sweep stroke (cricket)
6. To row with sweeps

1. To pass something brushingly over
2. To elicit by so doing (poetic)
3. To pass brushingly
4. To wipe, clean, move or remove with a broom
5. To carry along or off with a long brushing stroke, swiftly and/or with force
6. To wipe out or remove at a stroke (often with away or up)
7. To perform with a sweeping movement
8. To trail with a curving movement
9. To drag as with a net or rope
10. To search
11. To describe, generate or swing through (eg a curve, angle or area)
12. To range or move over exploratively or searchingly
13. To play a sweep stroke at (cricket)
14. To row with sweeps

1. An act of sweeping
2. A swinging movement, swing
3. An onrush, surge
4. Impetus
5. A clearance
6. Range, compass
7. A curved stair
8. A curved drive in front of a building
9. That which is swept, sweepings
10. A sweepstake
11. A search
12. A pump-handle
13. A long oar
14. A sail of a windmill
15. A wire drag used in searching for shoals, mines, etc
16. A chimney-sweep
17. A cricket stroke in which the batter goes down on one knee to play the ball to the legside with a horizontal bat
18. A periodic survey of the audience ratings of television stations, used in fixing rates for advertising (N American)
19. A blackguard (old slang)
20. Sweepback (aeronautics)

sweepˈer noun

1. A person who, or thing which, sweeps
2. (in association football) a defensive player with no marking responsibility who assists the other defenders
3. (in cricket) a fielder positioned on the boundary in front of square to stop balls hit through the infield

sweepˈing noun

1. The action of the verb in any sense
2. (usu in pl) things collected by sweeping, rubbish

1. Performing the action of sweeping in any sense
2. Of wide scope, wholesale, indiscriminate

sweepˈingly adverb

sweepˈingness noun

sweepˈy adjective

Swaying, sweeping, curving

sweepˈback noun (aeronautics)

The angle at which an aeroplane wing is set back relatively to the axis

sweep hand or sweep second hand noun

A hand on a clock or watch that indicates seconds

sweepˈ-net or sweepˈ-seine noun

1. A long net paid out in a curve and dragged ashore
2. An insect net with a handle

sweepˈ-saw noun

A turning-saw (qv under turn)

sweepˈstake or sweepˈstakes noun

1. A method of gambling by which participators' stakes are pooled, numbers, horses, etc assigned by lot, and prize(s) awarded accordingly on decision of event
2. Such a prize, race, etc

sweepˈ-washer noun

A person who recovers gold or silver from the sweepings of refineries

sweptˈback adjective

Sweptwing

sweptˈwing adjective

(of an aircraft, etc) having wings that are swept back

make a clean sweep (of)

1. To clear out completely
2. To win all the awards, prizes, etc

sweep the board see under board

• trade wind
• trade winds
• trading
• trading estate
• trading estates
• trading post
• trading posts
• tradings
• trading stamp
• trading stamps
• tradition
• traditional
• traditional Chinese medicine
• traditionalism
• traditionalisms
• traditionalist
• traditionalistic
• traditionalists
• traditionalities
• traditionality
• traditional jazz
• traditionally
• traditional option
• traditional options
• traditionarily