to sweep

Definition of to sweep in English English dictionary: besom; soup; broom
We broomed the dirt floor clean with spruce branches, brought our gear inside, and moved in.; To search (a place) methodically; A person who stands at the stern of a surf boat, steering with a steering oar and commanding the crew; A chimney sweep; To travel quickly; A batsman's shot, played from a kneeling position with a swinging horizontal bat; To clean (a surface) by means of a stroking motion of a broom or brush; A search (typically for bugs ); A single action of sweeping; To clean (a floor, etc) using a broom or brush; {n} the direction of a motion, destruction, a large oar, a range; {v} to clean with a besom, pass quickly over, rush over, pass with pomp, fetch a long stroke; {f} clean or clear away with a broom; remove forcefully; brush lightly; quickly pass over or through; scan, search; achieve an overwhelming victory; move lightly and gracefully; move rapidly; Last hiker in a group -- by design Person follows all others, ensuring that no one falls behind or is left needing assistance; One horizontal pass of an oscilloscope's electron beam from left to right across the CRT screen; The motion employed in moving the searchcoil across the ground; If you are swept somewhere, you are taken there very quickly. The visitors were swept past various monuments A limousine swept her along the busy freeway to the airport; To pass over, or traverse, with the eye or with an instrument of observation; as, to sweep the heavens with a telescope; Violent and general destruction; as, the sweep of an epidemic disease; If someone with long hair sweeps their hair into a particular style, they put it into that style. stylish ways of sweeping your hair off your face Her long, fine hair was swept back in a ponytail; If someone sweeps into a place, they walk into it in a proud, confident way, often when they are angry. She swept into the conference room Scarlet with rage, she swept past her employer and stormed up the stairs The Chief turned and swept out; A play in which the ballcarrier dashes for the outside behind blocking linemen before turning upfield; One who sweeps; a sweeper; specifically, a chimney sweeper; A large oar used in small vessels, partly to propel them and partly to steer them; an option to specify a percentage of excess cash flow that will be automatically moved into the taxable saving portfolio; The process which updates the network images of devices involved in a modifying transaction A sweep occurs at the end of the transaction if the NSS is onnet, or upon making the transition to the onnet state if the NSS is offnet Sweeps may also occur in the background; To pass over anything comprehensively; to range through with rapidity; as, his eye sweeps through space; The almond furnace; To move through an (horizontal) arc or similar long stroke; To play a sweep shot; to sweep the board: see board; If a person or group sweeps an election or sweeps to victory, they win the election easily. a man who's promised to make radical changes to benefit the poor has swept the election In both republics, centre-right parties swept to power; If you sweep things off something, you push them off with a quick smooth movement of your arm. With a gesture of frustration, she swept the cards from the table `Thanks friend,' he said, while sweeping the money into his pocket; A hit executed towards his leg or on side, by "sweeping" his bat around his body; 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"; To strike with a long stroke; If you sweep an area of floor or ground, you push dirt or rubbish off it using a brush with a long handle. The owner of the store was sweeping his floor when I walked in She was in the kitchen sweeping crumbs into a dust pan Norma picked up the broom and began sweeping; 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"; The act of sweeping; sweep with a broom or as if with a broom; "Sweep the crumbs off the table"; "Sweep under the bed"; A sequence of puretone frequencies, which generates a frequency response curve; The person who steers a dragon boat; a long oar used in an open boat a wide scope; "the sweep of the plains"; To draw or drag something over; as, to sweep the bottom of a river with a net; 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 move something in a particular motion, as a broom; If events, ideas, or beliefs sweep through a place, they spread quickly through it. A flu epidemic is sweeping through Moscow. the wave of patriotism sweeping the country; A period of time (usually four weeks) during which all local TV markets are simultaneously measured and reported by a ratings service is called a sweep Traditionally the sweep months are November, February, May and July; a long oar used in an open boat; A batsmans shot, played from a kneeling position with a swinging horizontal bat; {i} act of cleaning with a broom; continuous curving motion or shape; continuous extent; reach; chimney sweep, person who cleans soot and debris from inside a chimney; search made to remove hidden electronic listening devices; winning all or all but one of the tricks in bridge; sweep across or over; "Her long skirt brushed the floor"; "A gasp swept cross the audience"; The compass or range of a stroke; as, a long sweep; To brush the ice in front of a moving stone, causing it to travel farther and to curl less; 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; A flow of water parallel to shore caused by wave action at an ocean beach or at a point or headland; The compass of anything flowing or brushing; as, the flood carried away everything within its sweep; 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"; someone who cleans soot from chimneys; If your arm or hand sweeps in a particular direction, or if you sweep it there, it moves quickly and smoothly in that direction. His arm swept around the room Daniels swept his arm over his friend's shoulder. the long sweeping arm movements of a violinist. Sweep is also a noun. With one sweep of her hand she threw back the sheets; a movement in an arc; "a sweep of his arm"; The eased change of direction in a drain fitting that allows for smooth passage of waste Fittings with abrupt changes of direction, such as a vent tee, may only be used for vents Back to alphabetical list; A lottery, usually on the results of a sporting event, where players win if their randomly chosen team wins; A search (typically for bugs [electronic listening devices]); 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; win an overwhelming victory in or on; "Her new show dog swept all championships"