Anagram Solver

Definitions for Sweeping

[1] of wide range or scope.
[2] moving or passing about over a wide area: a sweeping glance.
[3] moving, driving, or passing steadily and forcibly on.
[4] (of the outcome of a contest) decisive; overwhelming; complete: a sweeping victory.
[5] the act of a person or thing that sweeps.
[6] sweepings, matter swept out or up, as dust, refuse, etc.
[7] to move or remove (dust, dirt, etc.) with or as if with a broom, brush, or the like.
[8] to clear or clean (a floor, room, chimney, etc.) of dirt, litter, or the like, by means of a broom or brush.
[9] to drive or carry by some steady force, as of a wind or wave: The wind swept the snow into drifts.
[10] to pass or draw (something) over a surface with a continuous stroke or movement: The painter swept a brush over his canvas.
[11] to make (a path, opening, etc.) by clearing a space with or as if with a broom.
[12] to clear (a surface, place, etc.) of something on or in it (often followed by of ): to sweep a sea of enemy ships.
[13] to pass over (a surface, region, etc.) with a steady, driving movement or unimpeded course, as winds, floods, etc.: sandstorms sweeping the plains.
[14] to search (an area or building) thoroughly: Soldiers swept the town, looking for deserters.
[15] to pass the gaze, eyes, etc., over (a region, area, etc.): His eyes swept the countryside.
[16] to direct (the eyes, gaze, etc.) over a region, surface, or the like: He swept his eyes over the countryside.
[17] to examine electronically, as to search for a hidden listening device.
[18] to win a complete or overwhelming victory in (a contest): Johnson swept the presidential election of 1964.
[19] to win (every game, round, hand, etc., of a series of contests): The Yankees swept the three-game series.
[20] Music . to pass the fingers or bow over (a musical instrument, its strings or keys, etc.), as in playing. to bring forth (music) thus.
[21] to sweep a floor, room, etc., with or as if with a broom: The new broom sweeps well.
[22] to move steadily and strongly or swiftly (usually followed by along, down, by, into, etc.).
[23] to move or pass in a swift but stately manner: Proudly, she swept from the room.
[24] to move, pass, or extend in a continuous course, especially a wide curve or circuit: His glance swept around the room.
[25] to conduct an underwater search by towing a drag under the surface of the water.
[26] Aeronautics . (of an airfoil or its leading or trailing edge) to project from the fuselage at an angle rearward or forward of a line perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft.
[27] the act of sweeping, especially a moving, removing, clearing, etc., by or as if by the use of a broom: to give the house a good sweep.
[28] the steady, driving motion or swift onward course of something moving with force or without interruption: the sweep of the wind and the waves.
[29] an examination by electronic detection devices of a room or building to determine the presence of hidden listening devices.
[30] a swinging or curving movement or stroke, as of the arm, a weapon, an oar, etc.
[31] reach, range, or compass, as of something sweeping about: the sweep of a road about a marsh.
[32] a continuous extent or stretch: a broad sweep of sand.
[33] a curving, especially widely or gently curving, line, form, part, or mass.
[34] matter removed or gathered by sweeping.
[35] Also called well sweep. a leverlike device for raising or lowering a bucket in a well.
[36] a large oar used in small vessels, sometimes to assist the rudder or to propel the craft.
[37] an overwhelming victory in a contest.
[38] a winning of all the games, rounds, hands, prizes, etc., in a contest by one contestant.
[39] Football . end run.
[40] one of the sails of a windmill.
[41] Agriculture . any of the detachable triangular blades on a cultivator.
[42] Chiefly British . a person employed to clean by sweeping, especially a chimney sweeper.
[43] Cards . Whist . the winning of all the tricks in a hand. Compare slam2(def 1) . Casino . a pairing or combining, and hence taking, of all the cards on the board.
[44] Physics . an irreversible process tending towards thermal equilibrium.
[45] comprehensive and wide-ranging sweeping reforms
[46] indiscriminate or without reservations sweeping statements
[47] decisive or overwhelming a sweeping victory
[48] taking in a wide area a sweeping glance
[49] driving steadily onwards, esp over a large area a sweeping attack
[50] to clean or clear (a space, chimney, etc) with a brush, broom, etc
[51] (often foll by up) to remove or collect (dirt, rubbish, etc) with a brush, broom, etc
[52] to move in a smooth or continuous manner, esp quickly or forcibly cars swept along the road
[53] to move in a proud or dignified fashion she swept past
[54] to spread or pass rapidly across, through, or along (a region, area, etc) the news swept through the town
[55] (tr) to direct (the gaze, line of fire, etc) over; survey
[56] (tr; foll by away or off) to overwhelm emotionally she was swept away by his charm
[57] (tr) to brush or lightly touch (a surface, etc) the dress swept along the ground
[58] (tr often foll by away ) to convey, clear, or abolish, esp with strong or continuous movements the sea swept the sandcastle away ; secondary modern schools were swept away
[59] (intr) to extend gracefully or majestically, esp in a wide circle the plains sweep down to the sea
[60] to search (a body of water) for mines, etc, by dragging
[61] to search (a room, area, etc) electronically to detect spying devices
[62] (tr) to win overwhelmingly, esp in an election Labour swept the country
[63] cricket to play (a ball) with a sweep
[64] (tr) to propel (a boat) with sweeps
[65] sweep something under the carpet or sweep something under the rug to conceal (something, esp a problem) in the hope that it will be overlooked by others
[66] sweep the board (in gambling) to win all the cards or money to win every event or prize in a contest
[67] the act or an instance of sweeping; removal by or as if by a brush or broom
[68] a swift or steady movement, esp in an arc with a sweep of his arms
[69] the distance, arc, etc, through which something, such as a pendulum, moves
[70] a wide expanse or scope the sweep of the plains
[71] any curving line or contour
[72] cards the winning of every trick in a hand of whist the taking, by pairing, of all exposed cards in cassino
[73] short for sweepstake
[74] cricket a shot in which the ball is hit more or less square on the leg side from a half-kneeling position with the bat held nearly horizontal
[75] a long oar used on an open boat Australian a person steering a surf boat with such an oar
[76] any of the sails of a windmill
[77] electronics a steady horizontal or circular movement of an electron beam across or around the fluorescent screen of a cathode-ray tube
[78] agriculture a rakelike attachment for the front of a motor vehicle for pushing hay into piles a triangular blade on a cultivator used to cut through roots below the surface of the soil
[79] a curving driveway
[80] mainly British See chimney sweep
[81] another name for swipe (def. 6)
[82] clean sweep an overwhelming victory or success a complete change; purge to make a clean sweep

Words related to Sweeping

across-the-board, broad, thorough, wholesale, comprehensive, radical, extensive, exhaustive, all-encompassing, full, complete, exaggerated, blanket, overall, general, all-around, all-inclusive, all-out, global, inclusive

Words nearby Sweeping

sweep under the rug, sweep-saw, sweep-second, sweepback, sweeper, sweeping, sweeping score, sweepings, sweeps, sweepstake, sweepstakes

Origin of Sweeping

11250–1300; Middle English swepen (v.); compare Old English geswēpa sweepings, derivative of swāpan to sweep (> obsolete English swope ); cognate with German schweifen

Other words from Sweeping

sweep·ing·ly , adverb
sweep·a·ble , adjective
un·sweep·a·ble , adjective

Word origin for Sweeping

C13 swepen; related to Old English swāpan, Old Norse sveipa; see swipe , swoop

Synonyms for Sweeping

across-the-board, all-encompassing, broad, comprehensive, exhaustive, extensive, radical, thorough, wholesale, blanket, complete, exaggerated, full, general, overall, overdrawn, overstated, all-around, all-embracing, all-inclusive, all-out, bird's-eye, global, inclusive, indiscriminate, out-and-out, thorough-going, unqualified, vast, wall-to-wall, whole-hog, wide