sweep

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[edit] English

[edit] Etymology

From Old English swāpan; see also swoop.

[edit] Pronunciation

[edit] Verb

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.
  2. (intransitive) To move through an (horizontal) arc or similar long stroke.
    • 2005, w: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”, 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.

[edit] Derived terms

Terms derived from sweep (verb)

[edit] Translations

to clean (a floor, etc) using a broom or brush
to move through an arc or similar long stroke
  • Japanese: 掃引する (sōin-suru)
search (a place) methodically
cricket: play a sweep shot
curling: brush the ice in curling
to move something in a certain motion
sports: win a series
sports: defeat a team


The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked

[edit] Noun

sweep (plural sweeps)

  1. The person who steers a dragon boat.
  2. A person who stands at the stern of a surf boat, steering with a steering oar and commanding the crew.
  3. A chimney sweep.
  4. A search (typically for bugs [electronic listening devices]).
  5. (cricket) A batsman's shot, played from a kneeling position with a swinging horizontal bat.
  6. 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.
  7. A flow of water parallel to shore caused by wave action at an ocean beach or at a point or headland.
  8. A single action of sweeping.

[edit] Derived terms

Terms derived from sweep (noun)

[edit] Translations

person who steers a dragon boat
chimney sweep — see chimney sweep
a search for bugs (electronic listening devices)
type of shot in cricket

[edit] References

[edit] Anagrams

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