sweep
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To clean using a stroking motion of a broom or brush.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
sweepIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈswip
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitive
To clean (a surface) by means of a stroking motion of a broom or brush.
transitive
To search (a place) methodically.
intransitive
To move through a (horizontal) arc or similar long stroke.
intransitivefiguratively
To travel quickly.
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.
noun
A single action of sweeping.
The person who steers a dragon boat.
A long oar used in an open boat
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.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To clean (a surface) by means of a stroking motion of a broom or brush.
Used this way, sweep is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use sweep
- “Sweep the crumbs off the table.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
The act of cleaning with a broom.
An employee who sweeps (floors or streets etc.).
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Overwhelm emotionally.
Overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli.
A second hand that is mounted on the same center as the hour and minute hand and is read on the minutes.
Succeed at easily.
To conceal something in the hopes it won't be discovered by others.
Force into some kind of situation, condition, or course of action.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: to clean (a surface) by means of a stroking motion of a broom
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.