A sweep is a movement or action where you clean or clear something with a brush or broom, often in one continuous motion.
When we use the word 'sweep' in everyday language, it's usually about cleaning up or getting rid of things. For example, if you're moving into a new house, you might need to sweep the floors before you put down carpets or rugs. Or maybe you just got done shoveling snow and now you want to sweep the sidewalk to make it look tidy again. You could also 'sweep' something away, like worries or problems, but in that case we often use a different kind of sweep, with our arms or imagination. Generally speaking, when people say they're going to sweep, they mean they'll be using a broom and dustpan to pick up dirt, dust, or debris from the floor.
How common is "sweep"?
Word sweep is considered uncommon in modern English. It has a balanced usage among all categories: speech, fiction, newspapers and academic texts.
Definitions
verb
(transitive) To clean (a surface) by means of a stroking motion of a broom or brush.
Example: to sweep a floor, the street, or a chimney
(intransitive) To move through a (horizontal) arc or similar long stroke.
Example: The wind sweeps across the plain.
(transitive) To search (a place) methodically.
(intransitive, figuratively) To travel quickly.
(cricket) To play a sweep shot.
(curling) To brush the ice in front of a moving stone, causing it to travel farther and to curl less.
(transitive, ergative) To move something in a long sweeping motion, as a broom.
(sports, transitive) To win (a series) without drawing or losing any of the games in that series.
(sports, transitive) To defeat (a team) in a series without drawing or losing any of the games in that series.
(military) To clear (a body of water or part thereof) of mines.
Example: The channel was swept twice before the battlefleet proceeded through it.
(transitive) To remove something abruptly and thoroughly.
Example: She swept the peelings off the table onto the floor.
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 strike with a long stroke.
(rowing) To row with one oar to either the port or starboard side.
(nautical) To draw or drag something over.
Example: to sweep the bottom of a river with a net
To pass over, or traverse, with the eye or with an instrument of observation.
Example: to sweep the heavens with a telescope
(Western Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana) To vacuum a carpet or rug.
